I deleted my email app. My mental health, free time, and productivity skyrocketed.

• I've deleted social media apps from my phone, but was still hooked to my email app. 
• Deleting it freed up time in my day for more meaningful things.
• Checking my email less actually helped me to stay on top of my emails. 

Deleting apps for the sake of my mental health and productivity is nothing new for me. Instagram and TikTok don't live on my phone; they're merely temporary tenants I let stop by on weekends. But as a self-employed writer, there's one app that's haunted me far more than social media: my email app.

Unlike social media, my email is inherently tied to my work. Where TikTok shows me trending dances, my inbox shows me all the people I've yet to respond to. Not to mention, email itself is work. I can dip into social media as I dip my hands into a rushing stream — delighting in the cool waters of a distracting video, then dip back out. With email, I am Sisyphus, desperately trying to scoop the whole stream into little buckets all day while the gods laugh at their sick joke — the stream never stops rushing.

It wasn't until I attended a small business workshop a few months ago that I latched onto a radical idea for curbing my email addiction. Toward the end of the workshop, the host offhandedly mentioned she hadn't had email on her phone since 2020. It had never occurred to me: you could just... delete your email app?

Staying on top of my email had become synonymous with staying on top of my work. But I had to know: what would happen if I ditched my email app and only checked my inbox on my computer a few times a day?

It immediately freed up my time for more meaningful work

From the first day, it became clear just how much time I wasted trying to stay on top of my inbox. Instead of focusing on my to-do list for the day, all too often I'd get sucked into requests from others.

Over the coming weeks, it became easier to dive into my creative flow and focus on my own priorities when the temptation to check my email app was gone. I was no longer stuck on the hamster wheel of reacting to others' needs and subsequently sacrificing my own.

It transformed my work-life balance

When I first deleted my email app, I decided I would only check my desktop inbox three times a day: in the morning, at lunch, and at the end of my workday. The habit became a powerful signal of stepping in and out of my professional identity. I'd put on my metaphorical Writer Hat by checking my email in the morning, and I'd hang it up again when I checked my inbox in the afternoon.

My work stopped bleeding into evenings and weekends. While it was scary at first, I realized anyone who genuinely needed me in an emergency had my phone number and knew how to use it.

It actually helped me stay on top of my email

Paradoxically, I consistently live closer to Inbox Zero than I ever have. Before, checking my email multiple times an hour was an easy way to get a hit of feel-good chemicals to my brain.

Now that I check less frequently, I'm not browsing for a dopamine hit — I'm really there to check my email. I've been shocked to realize how much easier it is to handle my inbox in a few fell swoops throughout the day rather than sitting and hitting refresh all daylong.

I have more time for what matters

For me, keeping on top of my emails simply isn't as important as other work tasks. So why was I treating my inbox as one of my highest priorities by checking it all the time? My email app had become a facade of busyness and efficiency. By stepping away, I've found greater clarity and peace.

Anyone interested in the same is welcome to message me — just remember, it may take me a little while to get back your email.