'You have HOW MANY unread emails?' PC Gamer shares their inbox shame

Emails have become a ubiquitous presence in our professional lives, often overwhelming and stressing us out. This story explores the sheer volume of unread emails experienced by various PC Gamer employees.

Chris Livingston, a senior editor, has over 780 unread emails, which is a significant improvement for him after years of setting up filters and unsubscribing from unwanted mailing lists. Kara Phillips, a video producer, usually keeps her number in the thousands and only clears it out when it hits 10. Evan Lahti, a strategic director, has been in the company for 20 years and holds emails with former figures, including a 2012 email from Notch.

Lauren Morton, a lead SEO editor, uses her unread email count as a to-do list, clearing emails once the number hits 1,000.

The majority of these employees work in a high-pressure environment where emails are a part of their job duties. However, the Gmail web client they use often causes a flood of unnecessary notifications. Andy Chalk, a US news lead, mentions that his email client is subpar, contributing to the overwhelming inbox situation. Jody Macgregor, a weekend editor, experiences double the emails due to using two email addresses, and her ADHD may also play a role in her inability to manage her inbox effectively.

Robert Jones, a print editor, usually keeps his inbox clear, but a recent break from work has left his number in the thousands. Ted Litchfield, an associate editor, doesn't want his personal email number disclosed, but it is undoubtedly a large figure. Jacob Ridley, the managing editor of Hardware, reads important emails but ignores the rest, as he believes life is too short to spend time on every unread email.