Premise
Inbox triage does not need to run continuously. Two scheduled passes can clear routine noise, stage replies, and isolate urgent mail without creating another stream of notifications. Counts make each run accountable.
Setup
- Connect Gmail and provide examples of noise, urgency, and your writing style.
- Set one morning run and one late-afternoon run.
- Review archived samples and every draft during the initial runs.
- Refine the rules when unread counts stall.
Boundaries
- Drafts but never sends.
- Does not unsubscribe, click suspicious links, or open unknown attachments.
- Never marks personal correspondence as spam.
Create a short urgent list only for deadlines due today, money at risk, legal matters, security concerns, or a person waiting on a timely response. Do not inflate ordinary mail into urgency.
Never send a draft, unsubscribe, open an unfamiliar attachment, follow a suspicious link, or mark personal mail as spam. End every run with unread count at start, unread count now, and drafts awaiting review. If little changed, name the blocker.
Prompt
Triage my inbox each morning and again at 4 p.m. Archive notifications and newsletters that match my approved noise rules. Prepare unsent replies in my voice for messages that need me.