Very nice, I think i may try going without notifications for a week! and I really like the idea of starting up in the calendar, but how about this one.
I use my inbox basically as my to-do list. At any one time there are only emails to which I am awaiting follow-up on or are part of a discussion about something, EVERYTHING else is read and promptly deleted.
As a result i rarely have more than 5 threads in my inbox at any given time! i've been doing this for almost a year now, and i've got to tell you it's refreshing!