The modern worker is addicted to email, and it’s poisoning us. It makes us anxious, stressed, and miserable to be constantly in connection with our work life, yet it is the most common form of communication across every industry around the globe. Last year, the total number of business and consumer emails sent out and received daily was 269 billion. It’s expected that over the next three years, that number will grow to 319.6 billion. Employees spend, on average, 2.6 hours a day reading and responding to emails, or 27 days annually. “It’s the most overused, misused, and inefficient way to communicate,” says Stephanie Bixler, executive director of Technology Strategic Planning and Digital Strategy at Scholastic. “And it impacts me as it sucks up an enormous amount of time just sorting through and finding what matters versus what does not. I barely get what I want to get accomplished, and I leave work unsatisfied.” That’s why it’s critically important that workers set boundaries. For starters, don’t check email first thing in the morning; if you do, you end up responding to other people’s requests for your attention before taking care of your own priorities. When you’re always online, you can never function to the best of your abilities.