Summarise before you read
For long threads, ask for a summary with decisions, open questions and what is expected from you. You read the summary first and only open the details you need.
Draft replies in your voice
Give the AI two or three of your past emails as examples of tone. Then ask for a draft reply with the key points you want to make. Always read and adjust before sending.
Build a template library
Most inboxes have 10 to 20 recurring situations: quotes, follow-ups, scheduling, polite refusals. Write a strong template for each, with placeholders, and save them in your email tool.
- Quote follow-up after 5 days
- Meeting confirmation with agenda
- Polite decline with an alternative
- Payment reminder
- Thank-you after a project
Protect your attention
Check email at set times, two or three times a day, and turn off notifications in between. AI saves time only if you do not spend it on more interruptions.
Example
A 40-message thread in 6 lines
Decision: launch moved to 15 March. Open: budget for ads not approved. Expected from you: send the revised plan by Thursday. Everything else is background.
Prompt to try
Replace the [brackets] with your own details and review the result before using it.
Summarise this email thread: [paste]. Give: 1) decisions made, 2) open questions, 3) what is expected from me and by when. Then draft a reply that confirms the decisions and answers the open points, in a friendly professional tone, under 120 words.
Exercise
Create five reply templates you will reuse.
