It took a few years, but I made it all the way to ground zero, and that’s a good thing. That’s right, zero emails in my in-box. Both my work email address and my personal one are empty. I had a few hundred emails lingering in them from the past few years, and I finally took some of my own advice and dealt with them.

The process was a bit like cleaning out my closet and getting rid of items I haven’t worn in a few years — like the blue jeans that are now too small (they must have shrunk in the dryer?), the shirts with the sleeves that have been too long for too long, and those 17 neckties I never wear.

In a similar way, I have been saving emails on how to become a licensed drone pilot, where to renew my coaching certification, and even a digital receipt for a lawn mower cable. And now they, and hundreds more, are all gone. Deleted. Erased. Out of sight and out of mind. Whew.

I realize some of you don’t get the same satisfaction I get from this process. You have thousands of emails, hundreds of text messages and dozens of social media notifications piling on top of each other, and none of them bother you one iota. I, on the other hand, get anxiety over such things, but I am now smiling ear to ear while looking at my empty in-boxes.

This deletion process is a bit of my own medicine, you might say. I often preach to our Big Green Umbrella Media staff members to “handle a piece of paper once,” and that goes for emails, too. Rather than move a document or a message dozens of times and look at it dozens more while doing nothing, just deal with it and complete the task, especially if it only takes five minutes or less to do.

The related piece of advice I also try to live by is, “Do it, ditch it or delegate it.” My wife says I rely on the third option too frequently. Maybe so, but the other two are equally important. I tell myself if I can deal with a task immediately, then I should quit procrastinating and get it over with. Or, if it truly isn’t that important, ditch it and be done with it.

I am proud to say that this process has worked for my emails, and it has mostly worked with my closet. Just let me know if you could use some neckties.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

See more of Shane Goodman's columns here.

Best Local Dive Bar

1. Carl’s Place

2. Toads Tavern

3. Greenwood Lounge

Tuesday touts
Oxtails make the best beef stew. These are on the Friday menu at Joppa Experience... The new Caribbean bar and grill The Palms on Ingersoll also has good oxtails, plus oxtail pizza and oxtail tacos. 

Deals today
• Red Robin stores are advertising a $10 cheeseburger with an "endless side" on Tuesdays.

• Jethro's Tuesday special is 2 pounds of bone-in smoked wings for the price of one. Because tonight is an Indiana WNBA game night, the West Des Moines Jethro's has a "Fever Reliever" special of any two appetizers on the Happy Hour menu and two pints of domestic beer for $22. 

• Paula's (524 Elm St., Valley Junction) runs a Tuesday special pulled pork sandwich with fries and drink for $13.50 till Labor Day. 

BUSINESS FEATURE
Custom-made

By Lindsey Giardino

In today’s highly competitive retail world, customer service can make the difference between keeping customers or losing them to a competitor. Businesses wanting to go the extra mile to satisfy their customers find ways to individualize their services, which may include customizing their products. Whether it is a sharp, custom suit or a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry, these two locally owned businesses are helping Iowans express their personal style with craftsmanship and care.

Tailored to you
Langel & Woods Clothiers has been creating custom clothing in the metro since the early 1990s when Pat Langel launched the business. Later, Tony Woods joined the company.

Customers who visit the locally owned and operated West Des Moines-based store range in demographic, style preference and national visibility, but they’re all in the good hands of a “certified master bespoke clothier.” ...

Cheers to 70 Years
Urbandale Fourth of July celebrates milestone July 2-4.

By Joe Baumgarten

If you have ever attended the Fourth of July celebration in Urbandale, your biggest complaints were probably the traffic getting home after the fireworks show or finding a good spot for the parade. Making every event run without a hitch — or with a bang, depending on the event — is the passionate job of a team of 21 volunteers meeting at least once a month for a full year. Riley Schneekloth and Tim Mueller are two of those volunteers.

“Our goal each year is to keep the cherished traditions but also to expand the celebration in some fun ways,” Mueller, the committee’s president, says.

“We want to bring the community together,” Schneekloth adds.

Happy birthday, Jordan Huxford!

These celebrities were born on this date: Alan Ruck, Chloe Bailey, Missy Elliott, Pamela Anderson, Carl Lewis, Andre Keith Braugher, Dan Aykroyd, Randall Hall, Keith Whitley

SUBMIT: Send your local birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to the last riddle:  What’s a baseball player’s least favorite "Star Wars" movie?  "THE UMPIRE STRIKES BACK!" - William Snyder, Gail Tomlinson, James Becker, Kris Laurson, Judy Anderson

Today's riddle: Why did the baseball player become a jeweler?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or the Johnston Living magazine, contact:

Andrea Hodapp
Account Executive
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 322
Mobile: 515-883-0523
andrea@iowalivingmagazines.com

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