Executive Support
Inbox Zero System for a Founder
A SaaS founder had stopped opening his inbox. 3,000+ unread, important threads buried under newsletters, and a vague guilt that something was being missed. I cleared the backlog, set up the triage system, and now I run it daily so he never has to think about email again.
Inbox triage system · labels, filters, response templates
The starting point
3,000+ unread emails. A founder who treated his inbox like a chore he never finished. Important client emails were sitting unanswered for days. Vendors were getting silent treatment. He felt out of control of his own communications.
What I built
- Backlog clearWorked through every email older than 30 days. Archived, replied, or escalated to him — depending on what each one needed.
- Label and filter systemA small, opinionated set of labels: Client, Vendor, Personal, Newsletter, Action Required. Filters auto-sort 80% of incoming mail.
- Response templatesTwelve templates for the messages he sends most often. Drafts go to him for one-click approval.
- Daily triageI review the inbox every morning. Anything I can handle, I handle. Anything that needs him gets a one-line summary and a recommended response.
- Weekly digestFriday digest of decisions made, threads escalated, and anything that's still pending — so he stays in the loop without doing the work.
The toolchain
GmailGoogle WorkspaceNotionSlackLoom
Outcome
0
Unread after week one
Cleared the entire backlog.
20 min
Daily founder time
Down from an unbounded daily slog.
100%
Response rate
Every email gets a reply.