TL;DR - Email eats your day. Use AI to summarize threads, draft replies from bullets, and template the messages you send weekly.
Why it matters
Email is one of the highest time-costs in knowledge work. AI can read a thread, tell you what's needed, and draft a reply in the time it takes to read this sentence.
Worked example - bullets to reply
Reply to this client, professional but warm, under 120 words:
- yes we can deliver by the 14th
- need the brand assets by Monday
- end with a clear next stepA sendable draft in under two minutes.
Steal this - the email toolkit
Summarize: "What's the decision in this thread, and what do they need from me?"
Draft: "Turn these bullets into a [tone] reply, under [N] words."
Template: save your common replies (decline, follow-up, intro) with [SLOTS].Common mistakes (and the fix)
- Rewriting the same email weekly. Fix: make it a template (Level 2 skill).
- Pasting a whole sensitive thread into a public tool. Fix: redact names/numbers.
- Sending unread. Fix: check the facts and tone first.
Good to know
The AI is built right into inboxes now: Gmail's "Help me write" (Gemini) and Outlook/Copilot draft and summarize in place. For tricky or high-stakes emails, a dedicated assistant (Claude/ChatGPT) gives you more control over tone.