AI Email Productivity Guide: Prompts to Clear Your Inbox Faster
Email is one of the biggest time sinks for busy professionals. AI can’t make the messages disappear, but it can dramatically reduce the time it takes to read, understand and reply to them.
This guide walks through practical AI prompts you can use with tools like ChatGPT to clear your inbox faster, without losing your personal tone or judgement.
When to use AI for email
AI works particularly well for three email tasks:
- Drafting replies from bullet points or rough thoughts.
- Summarising long threads into decisions and next steps.
- Polishing your writing so it is clearer and more concise.
Prompt: Draft a professional reply
You are my email assistant. I will paste an email I received and notes about
how I want to respond.
Please write a clear, professional reply that:
- Answers all questions
- Uses a calm, friendly tone
- Is written in UK English
- Is no longer than 200 words
Here is the email:
[PASTE EMAIL]
Here are my notes:
[PASTE NOTES]
Use this when you know roughly what you want to say but don’t have the time to craft the wording from scratch.
Prompt: Summarise a long email thread
You are my summarising assistant. I will paste a long email thread.
Please:
1) Summarise the thread in 5–7 bullet points.
2) List the decisions that have already been made.
3) List any open questions or unresolved issues.
4) Suggest what you think my next action should be.
Here is the thread:
[PASTE THREAD]
This is particularly helpful when you return from holiday or a long meeting and find an intimidating chain of messages waiting for you.
Prompt: Turn rough notes into an email
You are my email drafting assistant. I will paste rough notes and bullet points.
Please turn them into an email to <AUDIENCE> that:
- Has a clear subject line
- Starts with a concise summary of why I am writing
- Uses short paragraphs
- Ends with a clear call to action
Here are my notes:
[PASTE NOTES]
Prompt: Improve clarity and tone
You are an editor. I will paste an email I have drafted.
Please improve it for clarity and tone:
- Keep my original meaning
- Remove unnecessary repetition
- Soften any sentences that may sound defensive or aggressive
- Keep it under 180 words
Here is the email:
[PASTE EMAIL]
FAQs
Will AI make my emails sound generic?
Not if you give it examples. You can paste one or two emails you like and say: “Match this style.” Over time, adjust the output until it sounds like you.
Is it safe to paste emails into AI tools?
Always check the privacy policy of the tool you’re using, and avoid pasting highly sensitive data. For internal or client-confidential information, consider using tools approved by your organisation.
How can I stop spending so much time in my inbox?
Use AI to batch-process emails at set times of day instead of replying continuously. Draft several replies in one session, then send after a final human check.
Next steps
Choose one of the prompts above and use it on the next 3–5 emails you send. Notice how much faster it is compared with writing everything from scratch.
For a complete system that covers email, meetings, documents and planning, take a look at the AI Productivity for Busy Professionals course.