I don't understand why people are constantly acting like they are required to read email. I currently have over nine-thousand unread emails in my gmail. And look! Nothing bad happened! That's getting things done. Things that aren't email.
I don't really register to the "you have to read all the e-mails" camp but when I send someone an e-mail expecting a reply I at least would like to be semi-sure they've had a chance to see it and it not just drowned in a mountain of unread ones requiring me to seek alternative contact methods.
Note: I don't expect e-mail to be replied to straight away just when there it time, if it's urgent I will most of the time use alternative contact methods.
Some of us are wired to bring that little red number to 0. Latent OCD, perhaps? It just makes me itch inside when it looks like someone might be waiting for a response. I need to learn to live with it.
On the other hand, many others have been wired to think that number should be zero.
If someone needs me urgently for something, they can ping me in our company hipchat or use any of a number of methods to contact me by voice. Email is lowest priority.
I do get through my emails, but it's not something I allow to interrupt my day repeatedly.
Since I switched over to this, the self-inflicted stress over keeping my inbox empty has gone away. ANd I still get the work done that I need to get done.
