How daily email triage works
An assistant works through new mail at set times each day, usually early in your morning and again mid-afternoon, and sorts each message into a small number of buckets. Fewer buckets work better. A common set:
| Label or folder | What goes there | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| Needs you | Decisions, sensitive threads, anything from your priority list | You, with a one-line note on what's being asked |
| Draft ready | Replies the assistant has written for you to approve or edit | You approve, the assistant sends |
| Handled | Scheduling, confirmations, receipts, routine requests answered under your rules | Assistant, logged in the daily summary |
| Waiting on | Threads where you or the assistant are waiting for someone else | Assistant follows up on a set date |
| Read later | Newsletters, reports, updates worth a look | You, when you choose |
Everything else is archived, filtered or unsubscribed. Archived mail stays searchable, so nothing is lost.
Writing inbox rules for your assistant
The first week goes faster with a short written playbook. It should cover:
- Your priority people: co-founders, board members, key customers, investors, family. Their mail always lands in Needs you.
- What the assistant may answer alone, such as meeting logistics, document requests you've pre-approved, vendor confirmations and polite declines to cold pitches.
- What always comes to you: anything legal, HR, financial, press or emotionally charged, even if it looks routine.
- Your voice, including your sign-off, how formal you are and phrases you never use. Share a handful of real replies you liked as samples.
- A response window for routine mail, and what to do when you're travelling or offline.
Starting with drafts before the assistant sends
Most executives start with the assistant drafting and holding off on sending. You review drafts in one sitting, edit what's off and send. After a few weeks the patterns are clear, and you can widen what the assistant sends without review one category at a time. Keep sensitive categories on draft-only for good.
The daily inbox summary
A short message at the same time each day is the most useful part of the system. It lists what needs your decision (with links), what was handled, what's waiting on others, and anything coming up in the next 48 hours. It takes about two minutes to read, and calendar items from it tie into executive calendar management.
Mailbox access without sharing your password
In Gmail and Google Workspace, mail delegation lets another account read, send and organize mail in your mailbox without your password. Microsoft 365 offers similar options for Outlook, with separate settings for reading, sending on your behalf or sending as you. Choose the narrowest level that covers the work, and review it when the scope changes. Secure access for virtual assistants covers this in more detail.
What you provide
- Delegated access to the mailbox (and any shared or team inboxes in scope)
- Your priority list and a few sample replies
- A way to flag urgent items to you (a dedicated chat channel works better than more email)
- Fifteen minutes a day for drafts during the first weeks
Inbox management questions to ask before you start
What happens to mail that arrives outside the assistant's hours?
Agree a rule. Urgent items from your priority list should reach you directly, through your phone's notification settings or a VIP filter, instead of waiting for the next triage pass.
Can the assistant manage a shared team inbox as well?
Usually yes, with its own access. Make clear who owns replies in shared inboxes so customers don't get two answers.
How do I keep confidential threads private?
Use a filter or separate mailbox for a narrow category (legal, board, personal health) and leave it out of delegation. That's easier than trying to hide individual messages.
Want this handled for you? Tell us what fills your inbox and calendar, and a service partner will reply with a proposed scope.
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