I don't use a mail client. I use a mail server :) Well, actually, I use both, and it's made email much more useful than it ever was before.
My public email address forwards to a private one, which is delivered directly to my home computer. As soon as it arrives, I get a beep out of the pc speaker, and can head into the mail client (I use mutt inside gnu screen) to read them in real time, and I can of course reply immediately too. If I want to access my mail from a separate computer? I just ssh into the house, and screen -d -r it. The only problem remotely is if people email me messages. They are extremely slow on remote X. I usually just save them to a web directory and view them in a browser. I read this newsgroup through the mail interface too, so same thing with it, except for whatever reason, the replies only work half the time! Anyway, it's quite efficient. I go through hundreds of emails a day, and never feel particularly burdened by it. It's also faster and more reliably to reach me by email than it is by telephone or instant message!
