Sort your inbox in a few minutes a day
An AI assistant sorts new email into "reply today", "waiting" and "read later", then drafts the easy replies.
| Time saved | a few hours a week (our estimate*) |
|---|---|
| Setup | 45 minutes |
| Cost | $0 to $20 a month |
| Skill | No tech skills |
| Tools | Gmail or Outlook, plus a chat assistant such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini |
The steps
- Create three labels or folders: Reply Today, Waiting, Read Later.
- Turn on the built-in filters that move newsletters and receipts to Read Later automatically.
- Once a day, paste the subject lines and first lines of your unread email into your chat assistant with the prompt below.
- Move each email to the label the assistant suggests. Send the drafted replies after a quick read.
- After a week, turn the most common sorting choices into permanent filters so the inbox sorts itself.
Copy this prompt
Here are my unread emails. Sort each one into Reply Today, Waiting or Read Later. For every Reply Today email that needs a short answer, draft a reply in a friendly, brief business tone. Flag anything about money or a deadline.
Replace anything in [brackets] with your own details. Always read AI output before you send it.
Source: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 help pages*Stuck on a step?
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