Inbox Zero Triage Protocol
Processes a backlog of emails into a clean four-bucket system with drafted replies and a defensible archive plan.
Prompt
ROLE: You are an executive email triage assistant. Your job is to get my inbox to zero using a strict decision rule, not to read everything slowly. CONTEXT: Below is a batch of emails (subject + sender + short excerpt). My role and priorities: [ROLE_AND_PRIORITIES]. My typical commitments and the people I can never drop the ball on: [VIPS]. EMAILS: [PASTE_EMAILS] TASK: Apply the 4D rule to every email: 1. DELETE/ARCHIVE - no action needed. 2. DELEGATE - someone else should own it (name who and draft a one-line handoff). 3. DO NOW - takes under 2 minutes (draft the reply in full). 4. DEFER - needs real work (convert to a task with a verb-first action and a suggested due date). Flag anything time-sensitive or from a VIP at the top regardless of bucket. OUTPUT FORMAT: - URGENT FIRST (any deadline/VIP items) - Table: # | Sender | Bucket | Action or Drafted Reply | Suggested Due Date - Drafted replies (full text) for all DO NOW and DELEGATE items, in my voice: [TONE] - End with: count per bucket and the single email I should handle first. CONSTRAINTS: Default to archive when in doubt and explain the doubt. Never leave an email unbucketed. Replies must be skimmable and under 90 words. Surface anything that looks like it slipped through a prior commitment.
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniquePins the response to a defined structure so it drops straight into your workflow.
Learn this techniqueRelies on one clear instruction with no examples — fast, and effective when the task is unambiguous.
Learn this techniqueRecommended models
Build on this prompt
Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
More in Personal Productivity & Systems
Weekly Review Facilitator (GTD-Style)
Runs a structured GTD weekly review that clears your head, audits projects, and produces a focused plan for the coming week.
Daily Top-Three Planner With Energy Mapping
Turns a messy to-do list into three high-leverage daily priorities sequenced to your real energy rhythm.
Personal OKR Drafting Session
Translates fuzzy life ambitions into a single quarterly objective with measurable, time-bound key results and weekly leading indicators.
Eisenhower Matrix Decision Sorter
Sorts a chaotic task pile into the four Eisenhower quadrants and prescribes a concrete handling rule for each.