Why Successful People Delete LinkedIn Spam Without Reading

You know what really grinds my gears? LinkedIn spam. Yeah, I said it. Open your LinkedIn inbox right now—it's a wasteland of generic pitches, unsolicited connections, and "networking" messages that make you want to throw your laptop out the window. Successful people don't read that junk. They delete it. And here's why you should too. Research demonstrates that LinkedIn connection requests from strangers are largely ignored by professionals. ## Why LinkedIn Messages Are Wasting Your Time Every minute you spend sifting through LinkedIn spam is a minute you're not building your empire. And let's be real, time is your most valuable asset. According to [industry research](), the average professional spends nearly 28% of their workweek managing emails. Now add LinkedIn spam to that pile. It's a productivity killer. - You’re NOT finding the next big partnership in these messages. - You’re NOT getting career-changing advice. - You ARE getting distracted from your core mission. Let's cut the fluff. You didn't become a founder to spend your days reading sales pitches. ## Why You Should Delete Without Reading Some of you are thinking, "But what if there's a diamond in the rough?" STOP. This is the mindset that keeps you trapped. The reality? Diamonds don't come wrapped in spam. Yesterday, I got a LinkedIn message that started with "Hi Remy, I love what your company is doing..." and ended with a sales pitch for something completely irrelevant. DELETE. If it sounds generic, it's not worth your time. Tools like Sledgehammer exist to filter out this noise. It's not just about blocking cold emails—it's about reclaiming your time so you can focus on what truly matters. Sledgehammer filters sales spam so you don't have to. ## The Real Cost of Entertaining Spam Let's put some numbers to this. If you spend even 5 minutes on a spam message, and you get 10 of those a day, that's 50 minutes wasted. Multiply that by the workdays in a month, and you're looking at over 16 hours lost. That's TWO whole workdays! Imagine what you could achieve with that time. * Finish that business proposal * Strategize your next big move * Actually enjoy a weekend without thinking about work The cost isn't just in time—it's in lost opportunities and mental energy. Your focus is a finite resource. Don't squander it. ## How Successful Founders Handle Spam Here's the secret: they don't handle it at all. They automate it. Successful founders use tools like Sledgehammer to block cold emails and filter out LinkedIn spam. They understand that every minute spent on spam is a minute not spent on growth. - Automate: Use Sledgehammer to filter out the noise. - Delegate: Have your assistant or a junior team member scan for anything truly important. - Delete: Trust that if it's important, it'll find another way to reach you. According to a post I wrote earlier, if you're drowning in LinkedIn spam, there's a lifeline waiting for you. Grab it. ## Conclusion: Take Back Control Here's the bottom line: you don't owe spammers a second of your time. Use tools like Sledgehammer to automate the grunt work and take back control of your inbox. The next time you see a spam message, don't hesitate—DELETE it. You’re building something great. Don't let spam slow you down. Research shows that email management is critical.