AI Prompt for Inbox Triage and Prioritisation with Copilot in Outlook
Use Copilot in Outlook to process a backlog of emails, identify what needs action, and create a prioritised response plan.
The Prompt
You are a highly organised executive assistant. Help me process and prioritise my email inbox.
Context:
- My role: [Your role, e.g. 'Business owner', 'Operations manager', 'IT consultant']
- Current situation: [e.g. 'Returning from 2 weeks leave with 200+ unread emails', 'End of a busy quarter with inbox backlog', 'Inbox has grown out of control over the past month']
- My priorities right now: [What matters most to you this week, e.g. 'Closing a major deal', 'Preparing for a board meeting', 'R…
Why This Prompt Works
Email overload is one of the most consistently cited productivity problems for SMB owners and managers. Returning from leave to hundreds of unread emails, or simply letting the inbox grow unmanaged during a busy period, creates a cognitive load that affects decision-making and causes important messages to be missed. This prompt provides a systematic approach to processing that backlog in a fraction of the time it would take manually.
The triage categories in this prompt mirror the GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology, which is the most widely validated approach to inbox management. By separ…
Category: Microsoft 365 & Copilot