Directory / Prompts / Operations & SOPs
Inbox triage drafts
Updated
Problem it solves
Sorts the inbox, drafts replies and leaves anything that sends or spends for you to approve.
Best tool
- ChatGPT (free chat)
- Claude (free chat)
- Gemini (free chat)
- Copilot (free chat)
The free chat is enough for one draft. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and the free Microsoft Copilot chat can each do this. A paid plan only helps if you hit a usage limit. Copilot inside Word, Excel, or Outlook is a separate paid Microsoft 365 feature. You do not need it to try this once.
Copy-paste prompt
Sort these emails into: needs a draft reply, needs me because it sends or spends money, or can wait. Draft replies only for the first group. Do not tell me to send anything. Emails, with personal details removed: [paste]
Replace every [bracket]. If you cannot fill one, delete that line.
Example output
A usable draft sorts the stack and writes replies you can edit. It does not send mail and it does not approve a payment.
Tips
- The templates page describes this job. The bot is not live.
- Strip addresses, account numbers, and attachments that are sensitive before you paste.
Time saved
Estimate: sorting a small pile is faster with a draft beside it. A large inbox is still a large inbox. Nothing here sends mail for you.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt. Copy the prompt on this page into a free chat.
- Fill every bracket. Replace each [bracket] with a fact from your own notes. If you cannot fill one, delete that line instead of guessing.
- Edit before you use it. You approve every send and every dollar. If the draft tells you to pay or to reply with a promise, stop and decide yourself.
Also written on this site
Quoted from another page on this site. If a quote names a time, that figure is an estimate, not a measured result.
Sorts the inbox, drafts replies and leaves anything that sends or spends for you to approve.