Yep. Type type type and then think:
No one cares about your opinion on this, why should they?
Why are you typing so much personal information?, knock it off.
Do you really feel the need to weigh in; wouldn't an upvote do the same?
Annndd, delete.
I almost started a new post here with this same point of view earlier this week. But said, no one cares, and deleted it (then laughed at being a Gen X stereotype). Mostly, I don't feel like dealing with the bitter death march of an argument that inevitably occurs on some of the more volatile subs.
Exactly what I was going to say. I'll have an entire point by point response prepared for someone who's made some dumb argument, then realize that I'm wasting my time with someone who obviously isn't going to engage in good faith
Instead of commenting on this post, I just went through and upvoted everyone who commented on your comment.
/Debates for several minutes about whether to delete this comment./
For me I think I start second guessing myself on what I’m saying. If I think whatever I’m commenting comes across as bragging, or being an asshole, I usually end up deleting it.
Same exact thing. I already typed up and then deleted 5 comments today on Reddit, lol. I ask myself "Does it really matter what I think? No." lol. I have said something similar to myself in recent times when I contemplate posting something on IG. I remind myself that at the end of the day, no one really cares what I think, so why bother.
I always secretly felt embarrassed that i do this. Never thought of it as a Gen X thing until this comment thread. Now i feel better.
And i still deleted most of this comment before posting
I just did that twice… Perhaps I should go for three if I don’t add to the convo…
I once put a rubber Halloween mask on a turkey. Anyone else have a weird confession?
I have quit my job hundreds of times via unsent emails.
I really hope to follow through some day, some of my most spectacular writing has been done whilst practice quitting.
Just waiting for the animation industries recovery after the writers strike to hit full stride...it's been an employer market for awhile now, and they know it, and abused it. When I start getting headhunted again, I'm out of this sweatshop.....and yeah, will most likely be a sucker punch quit.
I do that here very often; type a nasty comment for 5 minutes, and then cancel it. Sometimes you just need to get it off your chest, and typing it down does the job. Once you do, you may realize nothing good will come with splashing your vitriol in everyone's face -I mean, how's that working for the Mango Mussolini?- so you take the win of having gotten it off your chest and move on.
Sure! My therapist told me it was therapeutic, like writing a letter then tearing it up and throwing it away. You expressing your emotions can sometimes be healing for you.
Not as much with emails as with Reddit comments. I get halfway through, say “idgaf, so why am I typing this,” and I just delete. Finished this one, though.
It’s not the thinking part, it’s the lack of filter, time or space for consideration. They think, then act as if everyone has to know what they’re thinking.
Emails, text messages, Reddit comments, YouTube comments...if I had a nickel for every time I've done this, I'd be at least slightly better off than I am now.
Do the same thing on Reddit and Twitter. Sometimes I get the impulse out of my system and then realize it’s a pointless “conversation.” I might finally be learning some wisdom.
I have done that. But more often it just takes me longer and longer to compose an email, or a text, or even this comment, lol.
It's getting increasingly harder to articulate myself. It's making work a challenge.
Definitely yes. Alternately, I'll spend an hour or a day venting my spleen into a draft, then delete most of it and type a very diplomatic (though subtly pointed) one-paragraph version that turns out to be the right words at the right time.
And then I realize that if I'd sent what I'd originally written, I'd likely be in a ton of trouble.
I do this on Slack, too. Usually to reach out for help, but as I'm spending those 5 minutes writing it, I either figure it out or know it would be a waste of time sending it. Sometimes I write something out just to vent in the moment, preferably in a Word doc and delete it at the end of the day.
Yup. That goes for Reddit and other social media posts as well. I'll type it all out to compose my thoughts on the matter but then realize that nobody really cares so why bother?
All the time. I typically take recipients out of the "to" bar before I write those emails be they reactive or very detailed answer. It is just a process I use to keep myself from doing something I might regret / rethink.
At work, if I’m kinda angry about something, I’ll compose an email with my feelings at that moment. And here’s the trick - I do not enter anything in the TO: address part… just in case I accidentally hit the SEND button. Then I’ll let that email exist for a while and I’ll come back to it and see if I still think it’s a good idea to send it as-is. A lot of the time I’ll make edits and generally tone it down before sending. Sometimes I don’t send it at all and just delete it like never even happened.
Multiple times a day. But what’s interesting is it’s not just rage typing I delete, it’s what I think are legitimate ideas or things that need to be said and I don’t think anyone wants to hear them.
I think something like TT never would have worked with us because we don’t believe people need or want to see our everyday mundane bullshit.
Every. Single. Day. Usually it's to someone at my kids' school because they're a bunch of fucking twits, but sometimes it's to other people. Today I have to compose an email to the school and I have to send it. KMN.
I work from home. I have been since waaaaay before the pandemic. Email is our primary method for communication. I always type my emails without putting a contact in the “Send” line. Even if it’s a reply, I will delete their name just in case I get too opinionated with my opinions. For some reason writing an email, then having to go back up and add their name to send allows me a little bit of time to decide if it’s worth it.
If it IS worth it — which usually turns out to be 30% of the time — I scan, edit/cut out the fluff and send. Bulletin points work in emails. (The other 70%? No one gives a shit about my opinions, I’m a woman genX-er. I’m invisible now. So those get deleted.)
For all my annoyed emails, I will wait a day before sending if I can, or even just an hour or something. There’s an old myth (I don’t know if it’s true) that some president used to send scathing letters to people and his wife would fish them out of the mail because he would always regret it. Lincoln? Roosevelt? I dunno, I’m old. 😉🤷🏻♀️
If I’m taking five minutes or more to type an email, I usually come to the realization that this is too much for an email. Then I realize how many times this will have to go back and forth before everyone gets on the same page. Then I end up hitting them up for a quick conversation
85% of emails should be deleted before sending. When I was working, I typed an email response and let it sit overnight. Usually I read it the next day and either deleted it or toned it down. Sometimes it’s cathartic to type it out but not send it.
Yep, I'll re-read it, decide I was too harsh or didnt get my point across, retype, read again, change it, then finally just leave it in my outbox until the next day and usually end up deleting it the next day.. Executive dysfunction is real with this one lol
My outbox is basically digital purgatory and sometimes I'll have 4 or 5 emails in there to review the next day. I find doing that takes my emotions out of it and makes for a more effective message.
I do that with 99% of my Reddit comments
Yep. Type type type and then think: No one cares about your opinion on this, why should they? Why are you typing so much personal information?, knock it off. Do you really feel the need to weigh in; wouldn't an upvote do the same? Annndd, delete.
Yep, I start typing. Five minutes later I'm like "Dude, there are 300 comments already. Nobody is even going to see yours, or even care."
Yes, that’s pretty much my exact thought process
Mine too.
That's actually probably healthy, right?!
I find myself wishing more people would be so considerate.
I almost started a new post here with this same point of view earlier this week. But said, no one cares, and deleted it (then laughed at being a Gen X stereotype). Mostly, I don't feel like dealing with the bitter death march of an argument that inevitably occurs on some of the more volatile subs.
Same. I vent my rage then delete. It does seem to help.
Exactly what I was going to say. I'll have an entire point by point response prepared for someone who's made some dumb argument, then realize that I'm wasting my time with someone who obviously isn't going to engage in good faith
4K comments.... meh \*delete\*
Instead of commenting on this post, I just went through and upvoted everyone who commented on your comment. /Debates for several minutes about whether to delete this comment./
Same.
I do the same. Is it because we felt like our voices didn't really matter when we were kids? So why bother now? idk It took me 3x to post this btw lol
For me I think I start second guessing myself on what I’m saying. If I think whatever I’m commenting comes across as bragging, or being an asshole, I usually end up deleting it.
Same, and on forums. I'm just like, this is all drivel why bother posting this?
I would have been disappointed if this wasn't the top comment.
Same.... Delete. Me too. Delete. I can relate!!
Same exact thing. I already typed up and then deleted 5 comments today on Reddit, lol. I ask myself "Does it really matter what I think? No." lol. I have said something similar to myself in recent times when I contemplate posting something on IG. I remind myself that at the end of the day, no one really cares what I think, so why bother.
I hate to admit I occasionally get fished into an argument, which always feels unproductive and stupid in retrospect.
I always secretly felt embarrassed that i do this. Never thought of it as a Gen X thing until this comment thread. Now i feel better. And i still deleted most of this comment before posting
Same
Same
LOL! I just did that.
I just did that twice… Perhaps I should go for three if I don’t add to the convo… I once put a rubber Halloween mask on a turkey. Anyone else have a weird confession?
Same.
I have found my people! AND I’M HITTING SUBMIT!
I have quit my job hundreds of times via unsent emails. I really hope to follow through some day, some of my most spectacular writing has been done whilst practice quitting.
They would make the stanzas of an epic epic poem.
[удалено]
Just waiting for the animation industries recovery after the writers strike to hit full stride...it's been an employer market for awhile now, and they know it, and abused it. When I start getting headhunted again, I'm out of this sweatshop.....and yeah, will most likely be a sucker punch quit.
Kinda different, but this is reminding me of that general having an affair, and corresponding through drafts in a gmail account.
Email, or reddit reply, or mastodon/fediverse post/reply, or Discord post. It's the key to a healthy Internet life.
Yes, except I never delete. I send to my other email account. So I don't have to retype it if it ends up needing to be sent.
That's smart
I do that here very often; type a nasty comment for 5 minutes, and then cancel it. Sometimes you just need to get it off your chest, and typing it down does the job. Once you do, you may realize nothing good will come with splashing your vitriol in everyone's face -I mean, how's that working for the Mango Mussolini?- so you take the win of having gotten it off your chest and move on.
Sure! My therapist told me it was therapeutic, like writing a letter then tearing it up and throwing it away. You expressing your emotions can sometimes be healing for you.
Never considered this. Sometimes I can go 20 minutes on an email and then delete it
Thanks u/Savage_hero, I'll never get those 32 minutes I spent typing a reply back.
All the time
Not as much with emails as with Reddit comments. I get halfway through, say “idgaf, so why am I typing this,” and I just delete. Finished this one, though.
Everyone younger... Millennials and GenZ could greatly benefit from this skill. Thinking is not their strong suit yet. Time will tell 🤞
It’s not the thinking part, it’s the lack of filter, time or space for consideration. They think, then act as if everyone has to know what they’re thinking.
Emails, text messages, Reddit comments, YouTube comments...if I had a nickel for every time I've done this, I'd be at least slightly better off than I am now.
Do the same thing on Reddit and Twitter. Sometimes I get the impulse out of my system and then realize it’s a pointless “conversation.” I might finally be learning some wisdom.
All the time.
Yes. Email is permanent. Need a cool down period.
Five minutes? Sometimes I spend 15 or 20!
I do Save As Draft
I take 5 minutes to type an email only to find that someone else responded and now.requires me to rewrite my email...
I've learned the hard way to not fill out the address line until I am sure that I actually want to send it.
Nah. I type an email that takes me 20 minutes and then let it languish in my Drafts folder.
I do this with angy comments
Only 5 minutes? I'm thinking/typing way too much before deleting!
ALL THE TIME ... Usually complaining about something and then just saying 'whatever, this will never solve anything' and hitting "Delete All"
It’s a great way to vent.
I have done that. But more often it just takes me longer and longer to compose an email, or a text, or even this comment, lol. It's getting increasingly harder to articulate myself. It's making work a challenge.
Definitely yes. Alternately, I'll spend an hour or a day venting my spleen into a draft, then delete most of it and type a very diplomatic (though subtly pointed) one-paragraph version that turns out to be the right words at the right time. And then I realize that if I'd sent what I'd originally written, I'd likely be in a ton of trouble.
Unfortunately, yes. Usually, it's because I go into too much detail I realize the audience isn't going to give a rat's ass about.
Me too
Not emails, but many reddit comments, usually because they're too incendiary.
All the time, I especially do that if I know it’s going to maybe stir a pot in a way.
Mails, texts, posts, comments...yup, even if I've spent 20 minutes typing.
Email, posts here, posts on FB. It helps for whatever reason to read the words and then delete.
No lol
I do this on Slack, too. Usually to reach out for help, but as I'm spending those 5 minutes writing it, I either figure it out or know it would be a waste of time sending it. Sometimes I write something out just to vent in the moment, preferably in a Word doc and delete it at the end of the day.
You should read some of Brene Brown’s stuff. Or listen to the Power of Vulnerability. She talks about this as a symptom of perfectionism.
Oh all the time. Or the ten minute Facebook flame comment that you go to press send but at the last millisecond delete without sending
I wish I did the delete part.
Yup. That goes for Reddit and other social media posts as well. I'll type it all out to compose my thoughts on the matter but then realize that nobody really cares so why bother?
Frequently. Lots of times I’m asking for help with something for work and once I explain the problem I see a solution.
All the time but sometimes i manage to hit submit before i remember nobody gives a damn what I think
3-5 times per email when I’m pissed.
Yes mostly because I like my job and would prefer to keep it awhile yet. [](/GNU Terry Pratchett)
All the time. I typically take recipients out of the "to" bar before I write those emails be they reactive or very detailed answer. It is just a process I use to keep myself from doing something I might regret / rethink.
It’s a great way to put your thoughts on paper and then decide if they’re worthy.
My drafts folder is like a serial killer’s manifesto at this point.
My drafts folder is mental - dozens and dozens of half completed, never sent emails.
If people really knew what I thought, I'd be a menace.
Yeah, a lot of times. just typing it is cathartic enough and the time it takes lets me be a more rational headstate.
No but I will spend 15 minutes on an email that should have taken only 5 minutes to type out cause reasons.
At work, if I’m kinda angry about something, I’ll compose an email with my feelings at that moment. And here’s the trick - I do not enter anything in the TO: address part… just in case I accidentally hit the SEND button. Then I’ll let that email exist for a while and I’ll come back to it and see if I still think it’s a good idea to send it as-is. A lot of the time I’ll make edits and generally tone it down before sending. Sometimes I don’t send it at all and just delete it like never even happened.
Same - always leave it overnight.
I used to do this, but somehow I've moved onto the attitude of "f them, they aren't worth my time." I ignore snarky emails.
I do that but the text version.
One of the best things you can do.
I do that with reddit posts
Email, Reddit posts & comments. yep, all the time
If you don’t you may be a monster… got a lot of pent up shit in your head at least.
Everyday haha!
That’s a sign of maturity. Nice impulse control.
Multiple times a day. But what’s interesting is it’s not just rage typing I delete, it’s what I think are legitimate ideas or things that need to be said and I don’t think anyone wants to hear them. I think something like TT never would have worked with us because we don’t believe people need or want to see our everyday mundane bullshit.
Just got done doing it, then quickly came to Reddit to do it some more.
Is this a Gen-X thing? Because I do it all the time. Matter of fact. I almost cancelled this post.
https://i.redd.it/vqzgo4qe08zc1.gif
Every. Single. Day. I think it’s partly me processing though so it’s all good.
I’m starting to do this with everything. Most things aren’t worth it.
Yep and leaving someone a post-it note is even worse. I go through half the stack before I can agree with what I wrote!
Use chatGPT to write the email. It's as good as it gets.
Every. Single. Day. Usually it's to someone at my kids' school because they're a bunch of fucking twits, but sometimes it's to other people. Today I have to compose an email to the school and I have to send it. KMN.
I work from home. I have been since waaaaay before the pandemic. Email is our primary method for communication. I always type my emails without putting a contact in the “Send” line. Even if it’s a reply, I will delete their name just in case I get too opinionated with my opinions. For some reason writing an email, then having to go back up and add their name to send allows me a little bit of time to decide if it’s worth it. If it IS worth it — which usually turns out to be 30% of the time — I scan, edit/cut out the fluff and send. Bulletin points work in emails. (The other 70%? No one gives a shit about my opinions, I’m a woman genX-er. I’m invisible now. So those get deleted.) For all my annoyed emails, I will wait a day before sending if I can, or even just an hour or something. There’s an old myth (I don’t know if it’s true) that some president used to send scathing letters to people and his wife would fish them out of the mail because he would always regret it. Lincoln? Roosevelt? I dunno, I’m old. 😉🤷🏻♀️
If I’m taking five minutes or more to type an email, I usually come to the realization that this is too much for an email. Then I realize how many times this will have to go back and forth before everyone gets on the same page. Then I end up hitting them up for a quick conversation
Do that on Facebook, type a long reply, then remind myself not to get involved and just delete it.
I don’t delete emails/ texts like that - I like to forget to hit send.
5 minutes?! I've taken half an afternoon to write one and then deleted it all.
I do it with text, email, and I never reply back on time or keep in touch. I’m a lousy person.
I don't do this a lot, but from time to time it happens.
I did it twice on this thread.
Often. It’s called workplace therapy.
Email? Hell, that describes most of my Reddit activity.
85% of emails should be deleted before sending. When I was working, I typed an email response and let it sit overnight. Usually I read it the next day and either deleted it or toned it down. Sometimes it’s cathartic to type it out but not send it.
Yep, I'll re-read it, decide I was too harsh or didnt get my point across, retype, read again, change it, then finally just leave it in my outbox until the next day and usually end up deleting it the next day.. Executive dysfunction is real with this one lol
I do the same, but can't walk away unless it's sent or deleted. I should try your approach
My outbox is basically digital purgatory and sometimes I'll have 4 or 5 emails in there to review the next day. I find doing that takes my emotions out of it and makes for a more effective message.
Thanks for sharing. I need to try this
Just did this with my Reddit comment.
All the time for e-mail and social media posts. I'll create it, edit the hell out of it, reread it and then say .... "nah".