Former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville has expressed his desire to abandon emails in favour of achieving a more peaceful life. In a conversation with CEO Lawrence Jones during the ‘Mind Your Own Business’ podcast, Neville shared his frustrations with emails and instant messaging.
Neville recounted an incident when he fell ill one Christmas, prompting him to establish basic rules to reduce the time spent on his smartphone. During the discussion with Jones, he revealed, ‘At the moment I’m actually trying to come off email. I want to go back to people ringing me up; I want to go back to meeting people face-to-face. All people do now is just email everybody. I want it to stop, I’ve had enough.’
Neville likened the constant influx of emails to being ‘attacked,’ describing them as ‘intrusive.’ His inbox, he noted, was often cluttered with emails he had been cc’ed into, many of which were not even intended for him. ‘You feel like you need to see your messages and check your emails and then you feel like you need to reply,’ he added. ‘And then you just get distracted from what you’re actually doing.’
While Neville expressed his discontent with emails, he praised applications such as Slack and WhatsApp, considering them to be friendlier and more personal alternatives. However, he predicted that email is ‘a thing of the past,’ envisioning a different form of communication in the future. ‘I can genuinely see the end of email,’ he asserted. ‘I think there will be a different form of it.’
Neville’s desire for more peace extends beyond his professional endeavours. Co-owner of a football-themed hotel near Old Trafford and a forthcoming hotel in Manchester city centre, he also holds a significant stake in a digital agency, co-owns Salford City Football Club, and is preparing to open a new university next year. Despite his various commitments, he remains committed to reducing digital interruptions. ‘At the moment, I want more peace and I think everybody wants more peace,’ he stated. ‘They don’t want to be continually attacked by notifications.’
To achieve this, Neville has turned off notifications on all his applications and keeps his phone permanently on silent. ‘All my notifications are now off on every app, so I don’t get anything flashing through. I never have my phone on loud; it’s always on silent. It’s things like that I’ve changed over the last 12 months.’
Gary Neville’s reflections and actions underscore a growing desire to reclaim personal time and reduce digital distractions. As he continues to manage his varied business interests, his approach to communication and technology may signal a broader trend towards seeking balance and tranquillity in an increasingly connected world.