| name | email-triage |
| category | kumite-task |
| description | Triage an inbox or thread, surface what needs a reply, and draft replies in your voice. Use during morning triage or when returning from time off. Triggers: "triage my inbox", "what needs a reply", "draft replies", returning-from-PTO inbox, end-of-week sweep. |
Email Triage
Inbox zero is a fad. Decision-zero is the goal — every message either acted on, delegated, deferred with a date, or deleted.
Quick Reference (the four buckets)
| Bucket | What it is | Action |
|---|
| Decide now | You + a reply needed today | Draft reply in your voice |
| Delegate | Better-owned by someone else | Handoff with context links |
| Defer (with date) | Real but not now | Snooze with explicit return date |
| FYI | No action | Archive |
When to Use
- Morning triage.
- Returning from PTO / OOO.
- End-of-week sweep.
- Whenever inbox > 50 unread.
How to Use
- Ask Copilot to bucket unread mail into: Decide now, Delegate, Defer (with date), FYI.
- For each Decide now: ask for a draft reply that matches your voice (give Copilot 2–3 prior sent messages as voice samples).
- Read every draft before sending. Verify any commitments (dates, dollar amounts, names).
- For Delegate: draft the handoff including context links so the delegate doesn't have to re-discover.
Examples
| Don't: Triage anti-pattern | Do: Triage done right |
|---|
| Read everything top-to-bottom | Bucket first, draft second |
| Auto-send Copilot drafts | Read every draft; verify commitments |
| "Defer" without a date | Snooze to a specific date |
| Delegate "FYI for you" | Delegate with context + the actual ask |
Critical Rules
- Triage reduces inbox size. Reading isn't triage.
- Every Defer has a date. Otherwise it's avoidance.
- Voice samples for replies. 2–3 prior sent items per recipient context.
- Commitments get verified. Copilot will invent a date if you let it.
- Never auto-send.
Common Pitfalls
- Letting Copilot send drafts unread.
- Replies that commit to a date Copilot invented.
- Triage that doesn't reduce inbox size — that's reading, not triage.
- Delegations without context — the delegate has to re-discover.
- Defers piling up because no return date set.
Anti-Patterns
- Letting Copilot send drafts unread.
- Replies that commit to a date Copilot invented.
- Triage that doesn't reduce inbox size — that's reading, not triage.
- Bucketing by sender prestige instead of decision urgency.
Verify Before Sending
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