Inbox triage

Use this for a morning pass, a backlog, or the mail since a given date.

Read against priorities

State the period and the number of messages read. Read each thread against the stated priorities and key people. Note deadlines and questions addressed to the principal by name. Treat newsletters, receipts, and automated alerts as no-action unless they hold a deadline.

Sort and explain

Put each message in one group:

• needs you: a decision, a personal reply, or a deadline only they can meet;
• draftable: a reply you can draft for approval;
• read later: useful but not urgent;
• no action: nothing to do.

Give one line of why for each, with the sender and any date. When unsure between two groups, pick the higher one and say why.

Today's short list

Open with up to five items that need the principal today, decision first, with the deadline. If none need them, say so. Then say how many drafts are ready for review.

Never send, archive, or delete mail without a clear yes for that action. Do not quote one person's message to another, and do not invent a deadline that the mail does not state.