When it really comes down to it, I’m not much of an emailer. Oh, I love to use it. And sometimes find myself turning to email before the phone, whenever I want to communicate with someone.

But as one of my good friends back in Oklahoma likes to complain, I don’t spend a whole lot of time writing lengthy messages, particularly not when replying to an email that’s popped up in my inbox. If I can get my message across in 30 words or less, all the better for me. If I move quickly from one email to the next, I can achieve my primary goal in email management: I want to see blank space at the bottom of my inbox. I get a little stressed whenever there are so many messages in there that they go off the screen.

Why does this matter? Because like lot of Americans, I feel bad when I haven’t responded to an email that’s been sent to me.

One recent study says that 44 percent of Americans feel guilty about not keeping up with personal emails. And 55 percent feel overwhelmed by messages friends and family.

“Our research shows that the pressure to keep on top of personal email is a major cause for concern for a great many Americans, who place a high importance on keeping in touch with friends and family,” said Eva Heil, Managing Director for GMX, a free-email service that sponsored the study.

So do you stress over email? What sort of strategies do you use to keep up with everything that comes your way?