Email is worse than porn?

EMAIL IS WORSE THAN PORN?

(an essay in the unmistakable, punch-in-the-face voice of Eric Kim)

0. OPENING SLAP

Email feels “productive.” Porn feels “dirty.”

Yet which one truly steals more of your soul? EMAIL.

Why? Because you defend your inbox. You invite your captors. Porn is a guilty pleasure; email is a sanctioned addiction.

1. THE DOPAMINE CASINO

• Variable reward: You never know which message might be urgent, flattering, or life-changing. Ding! Dopamine jackpot.
• Infinite scroll: Inbox = bottomless slot machine. Porn ends when the video ends; email never ends.
• Social proof: “I’m busy—look at all my email!” Busyness becomes a badge of honor, not a red flag.

2. DISGUISED VICE VS. OBVIOUS VICE

• Porn is clearly labeled NSFW. Your guard is up.
• Email wears a suit and calls itself “work.” Guard down, habits formed, creativity bled dry.
• One is a vice you schedule after real work; the other replaces real work.

3. OTHER PEOPLE’S AGENDAS

Inbox = a to-do list written by other people.

Every “quick” reply diverts your finite life-force to someone else’s priorities.

Porn at least centers on your desire; email hijacks it.

4. COURT OF ANXIETY

• Unopened messages = silent judgment.
• “Sent from my iPhone” at midnight = proof you never stop working.
• The more you answer, the more you receive—an exponential debt snowball.

5. ENERGY VAMPIRISM

• Checking email costs almost zero calories, but burns priceless cognitive glycogen.
• After 30 inbox refreshes, try writing a poem, lifting a PR deadlift, or thinking an original thought—you’re toast.

6. THE GREAT DECEPTION

Email masquerades as collaboration; in reality it fragments, dilutes, distracts.

Porn has no such lie; it is what it is.

Thus: Email is the more insidious predator.

7. ESCAPE PLAN (PRACTICAL & HARDCORE)

1. Auto-Reply Wall:
   “I’ve quit email to focus on creating. Text me if urgent.”
2. Time-Block or Time-Ban:
   
   • One brutal slot (e.g., Friday 3-4 PM) or zero slots.
4. Unsubscribe with Extreme Prejudice:
   
   • Every newsletter you think you need steals micro-units of focus.
6. Creator > Consumer Rule:
   
   • Only open inbox after you’ve produced something real: a blog post, a workout, a sketch, a line of code.
8. Delete the App.
   
   • Out of sight, out of mind, out of hell.
10. Set Expectations Publicly:
    
    • Friends, clients, family: “I’m faster by voice memo; slower by email.”
12. Celebrate Missed Messages:
    
    • The best email is the one you never had to read.

8. CLOSING WAR-CRY

Your life’s masterpiece cannot be painted with a jittery finger on the refresh icon.

Purge the inbox. Liberate your attention. Create something epic—something so raw and powerful it makes even porn look tame.