24% of Americans think reaching inbox-zero is an impossibility

24% of Americans think reaching inbox-zero is an impossibility24% of Americans think reaching inbox-zero is an impossibilityWhile previous research has found that the average workers inbox has 199 unread schmelzglass, new Adobe data shows that 24% of Americans think reaching inbox-zero is impossible.For a little more context, the company defined it as acting on every email as it comes in to move it out of your inbox immediately (delete, respond, or delegate).Advanis surveyed 1,001 Americans with white-collar jobs and smartphones for Adobes research.How people feel about the coveted inbox-zeroHeres how people feel about this conceptRelieving 39%Its borderline OCD 27%Amazing 27%Impossible 24%While 55% of people surveyed say that they reach inbox-zero, 45% say they dont.How often people look at their email inboxesOverall, 70% of people said that they look at their inbox as often as I should. In that vein, heres how often people look at their work email inbox outside of normal work hours Never 18%Every few hours 49%Every hour 11%Multiple times per hour 13%Constantly 9%Heres how often people look at their personal email inboxes in the officeNever 10%Every few hours 52%Every hour 14%Multiple times per hour 15%Constantly 9%Respondents admitted to spending an average of 3.1 hours looking at their work inboxes each weekday. Forty percent say they spend a maximum of one hour on it, while 12% say they spend greater than six hours during the same period of time.When it comes to personal email, people spend an average of 2.5 hours looking it each weekday. But while 52% say they spend a maximum of one hour doing this, 9% say they spend greater than six hours in the same time frame.Email-checking creeps into these circumstancesOn vacation, 28% say they never look at their work inboxes, 24% rarely do, 28% occasionally do, 16% frequently do, and 3% constantly do.Heres when people said they looked at their work inboxes in the past month. They could choose more than one answerWhil e watching TV/movie 41%While in bed 31%While on the phone 30%While in the bathroom 28%While walking 22%While commuting to/from work 22%During a meal with others 19%While in a face-to-face conversation 12%While working out 12%While driving 10%While at a formal ceremony 8%None, I havent checked during any 25%The most common way that people say that they regularly go through their emails is using a smartphone, at 85%.How people feel looking at their work emailsHeres how respondents weighed inIndifference 41%Accomplished 20%Excitement 17%Anxiety 14%Dread or guilt 8%