How to stop drowning in emails

The three checks, one reply rule

Emails are the greatest paradox of my working life. I can’t focus if I’m in my inbox all day, but if I go too long without checking it, I get anxious and… can’t focus.

My problem isn’t an organisational one. I have a good label system; I aggressively use filters and I have a permanent out-of-office on. It’s not that I don’t know how to get to inbox zero…