​The Work in Progmess Team​ December 2, 2025

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💌 From the Editor’s Desk

Welcome back to Work In Progmess, the only newsletter that fully supports your right to chase a deal, but also fully supports your right to regret every email subscription that followed.

It is the Tuesday after Black Friday, which means millions of Americans are now grappling with an unexpected side effect of holiday shopping: the tidal wave of emails they accidentally signed up for while trying to save four dollars on a sweater.

This week, we explore the consequences of clicking “I agree” without reading the fine print, and what it says about how we manage more than just our inboxes.

— The Mess

📰Headline Shocker

NATION STRUGGLES WITH RECORD LEVELS OF INBOX REGRET FOLLOWING BLACK FRIDAY
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Study finds average American subscribes to 47 email lists in one weekend of panic shopping

SEATTLE, WA — The nation awoke Monday to inboxes overflowing with promotional messages from companies they do not remember visiting, stores they do not like, and services that should not legally exist.

Subject lines included:

• “Final hours to save”
• “Last chance to get 10 percent off”
• “This is really the last chance to save, we promise”
• “Cyber Monday Pre-Pre-Pre Sale”
• “We saw you forgot something in your cart but we will not let this go”

Researchers report that during the Black Friday weekend, the average citizen subscribed to seven newsletters per discount. One particularly frazzled shopper claims he signed up for a monthly goat grooming digest while trying to purchase socks.

Productivity experts confirm that 42 percent of all Monday morning work hours were spent deleting promotional emails that somehow regenerated in real time.

Sociologists refer to the phenomenon as Inbox Regret Syndrome, commonly triggered by trying to buy a candle for someone you barely like.

📦 The Clutter We Invite Without Thinking

Here is where we pivot from inbox chaos to something deeper, but still maintain the humor and Work In Progmess tone.

Sure, your Monday inbox is a disaster.
But here is the uncomfortable truth.

Your inbox is rarely the only place where you say yes too quickly.

Black Friday inbox chaos mirrors the clutter we accumulate everywhere:

• Commitments we did not mean to make
• Projects we did not really want
• Meetings we did not have time for
• Expectations we never agreed to carry

Every “Subscribe and save 10 percent” moment reflects a larger pattern:
We say yes without asking whether it aligns with who we are or what we actually need.

A cluttered inbox is annoying.
A cluttered life is expensive.

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📩Until Next Time…

Forward this to someone who is still deleting Cyber Monday emails from 2024.

Remind them:
Your attention is valuable.
Treat it like it is on sale for zero percent off.

— The Progmess Editorial Team

🔗 Bitter End

If your inbox is begging for mercy, here is something that might help.

Google has a tool that reveals every marketing email and subscription you accidentally signed up for. It also lets you unsubscribe with a single click. It is oddly satisfying.

👉 https://support.google.com/mail/answer/9007949​

Because sometimes the fastest path to clarity is not adding anything new.
It is unsubscribing.

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