Do I Check Email on My Phone?
Nidhi Gupta, MD
When people ask if I have email on my phone, I feel like I need a PowerPoint presentation—or a gentle plug for my new bestselling book Calm the Noise—to explain my “email situation.”
Three years ago, before I deleted email from my phone, I picked up that device 206 times a day. Yes, a stat I am not proud of and one that you can find in the Screen Time section of your phone. Any moment of downtime—stirring lentil soup, sitting in the school pick-up line, waiting for insurance customer service to answer—my mind would nudge, “Just check your email…”.
And sure enough, there was always something new: Ann Taylor’s latest trends, or yet another update to Google’s privacy policy.
Meanwhile, the rest of my home screen was a chaos of notifications. I would go in for “just one email” and find myself 15 notifications deep, wondering what I originally picked up my phone for.
So, one fine day in July 2022, I gathered all my courage… and hit delete. Not delete emails—delete the email app.
Life has not been the same since.
Was the transition messy? Absolutely! I had to learn a new rhythm: checking emails 2–3 times a day on my desktop, batch-processing them, and keeping the email window closed at other times. I also needed to gently reset the expectation of 24/7 availability, letting people know that email is not the urgent way to reach me, and that emergencies require a phone call.
If I ever need email on the go (show tickets, PTA sign-up, flight check-ins), I simply log in through my browser, like it’s 2007—and honestly, it works like a charm!
People often ask, “But how do you get anything done?” Well, email is typically not our entire job. There is so much more to do in a day. Freeing myself from the constant pull of my inbox gave me back something precious: time, attention, and presence.
Looking back, I am not sure why it took me so long to take this bold step. So, if you have been thinking about deleting email from your phone—or imagining your life will collapse the moment you do—I invite you to try a 21-day experiment of no email app on your phone. That’s about how long it takes to form a good habit and break a noisy one.
What did I discover after deleting the email app?
- TIME: Lots of it! What do I do with all the extra time? Stuff. Important, sometimes trivial, but always meaningful.
- CALM: It keeps the noise out. Without the constant download of emails, life feels peaceful… calm.
This holiday season, as you gather around family and friends, I hope you find the TIME to CALM the NOISE. Use that time to make genuine, face-to-face connections with the people who matter most — those sitting right next to you, at the table, or just a phone call away.
Wishing you a warm and joyful Holiday Season filled with love, laughter, and maybe even a slice (or two) of pie!
With Joy & Gratitude,
Nidhi