Vent: I used to treat every job email like a 911 call, now I reply in batches and my boss said something odd

Jessica Johnson · 2026-10-07T06:35:04.667281+00:00

I used to drop whatever I was doing every time my work phone buzzed. Like, mid-sandwich, mid-conversation, it did not matter, I would grab it and hammer out a reply within two minutes because I figured fast meant reliable. Back in February I counted up my day and I was responding to something like 60 emails before lunch, and every single one left me feeling behind on the actual work. Then a coworker in my Tuesday group told me she only checks her inbox at 9, noon, and 4, and nobody has fired her yet. I tried it for two weeks and the wild part is people started saying I seemed calmer and more on top of things, which makes no sense because I was doing less. My manager even asked if I had taken some kind of time management class, and I just shrugged. Now I batch everything and answer the real fires right away and let the rest wait a few hours. Has anyone else had people think you got better at your job just because you stopped answering instantly?

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Vent: I used to treat every job email like a 911 call, now I reply in batches and my boss said something odd | Career Advice - Chatter Central