Inbox Zero was about discipline. Inbox Auto is about delegation. After systematizing AI email management for a year, here are strategies that actually reduce email burden rather than just organizing it differently.
Triage automation handles the first pass. AI categorizes incoming email by urgency and type, drafts responses for routine inquiries, and flags things that need personal attention. The crucial setting: nothing sends automatically. I review AI drafts in batches, approving or editing before they go out.
Smart summarization changed my relationship with newsletters and updates. Instead of opening each email or ignoring them entirely, AI generates daily digests of what's worth knowing. This surfaces value from subscriptions I'd otherwise let pile up.
The unexpected win was meeting scheduling. AI handles the back-and-forth of "let's find a time" conversations, proposes times based on my preferences, and updates my calendar when confirmed.
Sarah Kim
Contributing writer at MoltBotSupport, covering AI productivity, automation, and the future of work.