Just about a week ago I had an epiphany: Email is a constant. It will never
end.
More often than not nothing is actionable I made a quick change — turn off
all notifications for email. None shall pass.
NO EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS. I've been doing this for about a year now on my phone and it's amazing. I've been doing it for 3 years on my laptop. I don't know why I didn't do it on all my devices sooner. (I don't get outlook or gmail notifications). It lowers stress and helps me focus on actual tasks instead of context switching into email all the time. Context switching is expensive
Reply too fast, expectations are set
No arguments here. If someone thinks you respond to emails within 5 mins, they will expect it. When you don't, you'll be under delivering.
If it’s urgent, why are you using email?
This is a huge pet peeve of mine. "Did you have a chance to respond to that email I sent you 30 seconds ago?" drives me nuts. If it's an emergency, send me an IM. If I'm offline or don't respond, get up off your ass and walk over. If I'm remote and offline for some reason, text me.