Email can cut a day into small pieces. A notification invites you to read a message, then you return to work. Later you open the same message again to actually answer it. In my original article I called that double work and proposed an email diet.
Make an appointment with your inbox
At the time I scheduled three fifteen-minute periods: ten in the morning, two in the afternoon and six in the evening. In each block I read messages and answered them when possible. Between them, the inbox stayed closed. This was not a universal rule; it was a way to keep my attention on the work at hand.
If you must be reachable quickly, choose different times or an agreed channel for urgent issues. Ordinary messages need not demand the same immediate attention as emergencies. Tell colleagues or customers what they can expect, so a calmer email rhythm does not feel like silence.
Include your phone
A closed browser helps little if your phone still buzzes for every message. Turn off push notifications or decide which senders truly warrant an alert. Then make a decision during each scheduled block: answer, save as a task or discard. An email diet is not less careful work; it gives the inbox a deliberate place in your day.