How I handle 389 unread messages

2025-09-30 · Short · Ali · recording, 1:39 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Productivity and time · mode: Answering questions · tags: Lesson from a book

In a Short answering a viewer's question about too many unanswered texts, Ali follows Oliver Burkeman: accept disappointing people some of the time; he leaves non-urgent WhatsApp messages unanswered, tells people in his status that it is nothing personal, and replies in short sprees.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — How Ali handles a pile of unanswered WhatsApp messages

★★★ Ali's approach to too many unanswered messages comes from Oliver Burkeman: you have to be okay with disappointing people some of the time, because it is impossible to keep on top of everything. — 00:00:00
★ Ali calls Oliver Burkeman's books Four Thousand Weeks and Meditations for Mortals both very good. — 00:00:00
★★ Ali gets loads of WhatsApp messages every day, a mix of work and personal messages, friends and family, and strangers who found his number pitching their startups and podcasts. — 00:00:16 · WhatsApp
★★ Ali sometimes sets his WhatsApp status to say that if he does not respond, it is nothing personal and people should feel free to follow up. — 00:00:40 · WhatsApp
★★★ Ali feels it is okay to leave people on read and not reply to messages that are not urgent or time-sensitive, accepting that people are a little disappointed at first, which does not matter in the grand scheme of things. — 00:00:50
★ Ali usually replies to WhatsApp messages in a spree of a few minutes while on the toilet. — 00:01:17 · WhatsApp

Threads in this video

refine · How should you manage your email? — Ali feels it is okay to leave people on read and not reply to messages that are not urgent or time-sensitive, accepting that people are a little disappointed at first, which does not matter in the grand scheme of things. (00:00:50)

Mentioned

Central: Oliver Burkeman · WhatsApp

Also: Four Thousand Weeks · Meditations for Mortals

Also centred on Oliver Burkeman: Life Is 4,000 Weeks. You’re Already Burning Through Them. · Watch this if you never have enough time

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