Email is addictive

We expect information to come to us, rather than proactively seeking it out. 

Our news email means we don't have to search it out. Our event invites mean we don't have to look into what's happening. While it is convenient, we are conditioned to become lazier.

We often impose an unhealthy expectation on ourselves to respond to every email immediately.
Except for work assignments, this is unnecessary. Many people will applaud you for taking a break and find your decision inspiring.

There are so many things funneling back to email.

Without email, it can be difficult to check a doctor's appointment, RSVP to party invites, or access your bill history. Email can be a nightmare if you're trying to create boundaries.

Most emails are of little value. We often remember the extraordinary, like the once-in-a-lifetime invitation, but not the ordinary - that possibly only three percent of emails are worth reading.

The email experiment works as follows:

• No logging in to any primary email accounts for the entire month.
• Setting up automatic forwarding to an assistant to ensure nothing urgent falls through the cracks.
• Setting up an auto-reply explaining the reason for the email s...