This has been my solution as well. At some point in the last few (3-5 years?) I just gave up. My communication with important people hasn't really changed. I s

This has been my solution as well. At some point in the last few (3-5 years?) I just gave up. My communication with important people hasn't really changed. I star important people by default and just glance over at them. I've also trained those same important people that I always pick up my phone, so they feel like they can call me if it's urgent or important. My output is higher now and I just don't think about email. Sometimes I miss things that people ask of me. They either come back around, because they are actually important, or they die on the vine. I'm also very specific about what/who an important person is, so there just aren't that many important emails.