Email is where productivity goes to die, and it is one of the best places to start with AI automation. The trick is to let AI do the sorting and drafting while you keep the final say.
Step 1: Triage automatically
Use rules plus an AI classifier to label incoming mail as action needed, waiting, newsletters or receipts. Review the labels daily for a week and correct mistakes; accuracy improves quickly.
Step 2: Summarise long threads
Ask for a three-bullet summary of any thread longer than five messages, including open questions and who owns them. This alone can save significant time each week.
Step 3: Draft, never auto-send
Let AI draft replies in your tone using past emails as examples, but keep sending manual. The draft-and-approve pattern gets most of the benefit with almost none of the risk.
Key takeaways
- Step 1: Triage automatically
- Step 2: Summarise long threads
- Step 3: Draft, never auto-send
