Mutt is perfect. No distractions, and full functionality[1]. I don't have to open up a web browser to answer my email. What's more, I can press a single keybinding that brings up my entire inbox instantaneously (no waiting for the browser to open, web interface to load, etc). You'd think those extra five seconds don't make a difference, but it really improves your workflow when you don't have to keep your inbox sitting open in another window all day, and even turn off notifications.
Now, I can keep email at an arm's distance, so it doesn't bother me when I need to do anything, but still at my fingertips, so I can access it quickly, spend as little time as possible taking care of what I need to do, and then closing it and forgetting about it.
[1] Gmail's implemenation of IMAP, on the other hand, is horribly, horribly broken, but it's possible to get it to work with mutt regardless.
Now, I can keep email at an arm's distance, so it doesn't bother me when I need to do anything, but still at my fingertips, so I can access it quickly, spend as little time as possible taking care of what I need to do, and then closing it and forgetting about it.
[1] Gmail's implemenation of IMAP, on the other hand, is horribly, horribly broken, but it's possible to get it to work with mutt regardless.