Tame Your Inbox in 10 Minutes (Now with AI) — Part 2

Quick Glance

• ⏪ Last Week’s Recap & The Big Next Step

• 🎥 How To Automate Your Email Replies (Full Video Tutorial)

• 💡 Pro Tip: Ask AI Clarifying Questions First

• 🧠 What I’m Learning (Links + Inspiration)

Last Week’s Recap & The Big Next Step

In our previous newsletter, we tackled the 3-bucket inbox triage system. By simply creating “Needs Action,” “Optional,” and “Reviewed” buckets, we cleared out unnecessary noise and regained focus. This week, we’re taking that foundation and supercharging it with AI—so you can cut down on email-writing time while still staying in control.

Imagine simply labeling an email and having a smart, context-aware draft magically appear. You get a personalized reply that you can tweak (or send as-is!) in under a minute. No more starting at a blank screen thinking about what you want to eat for lunch… unless you just want to do that.

🎥 How To Automate Your Email Replies (Full Video Tutorial)

Simple Step-by-Step Breakdown:

1. OpenAI Setup

   • Create an OpenAI API account (plans start as cheap as $5/month).

   • Grab your API key.

   • Note: This is separate from your ChatGPT account.

2. Create a Free N8n Account

   • Sign up here and log in.

3. Download My Workflow Template

   • Grab it from Google Drive and import it into N8n.

   • Replace the placeholder text with your API key, email details, and system prompt.

4. Slap a Label on an Email

   • Let the automation run, generate a draft, and watch your email worries evaporate.

📖 How This Automation Works (In Plain English)

1. Label an Email

   • Add a label like “Needs AI Response.”

2. N8n Automation Kicks In

   • N8n grabs your email content and your “system prompt” (the instructions that capture your writing style).

3. OpenAI Crafts a Draft

   • The AI writes a reply matching your tone, your typical greetings, and even your sign-offs.

4. Draft Saved in Inbox

   • Instead of sending immediately, it waits in your Drafts. You decide whether to revise or just click “Send.”

It’s the best of both worlds: speed and consistency for routine emails, with full control for anything sensitive.

💾 What I’m Prompting: A Pro Tip for Better AI Responses

One of my favorite ways to get high-quality AI output is to tell it to ask you clarifying questions before it begins.

Instead of doing its best to give you a one-shot answer, the AI will then return with a list of questions. Answer them, feed those answers back into the chat, and voilà—you get a far more tailored result. This “ask first” approach works really well for any scenario, from smaller tasks to even larger, more complex things.

Example Prompting Scenarios:

Scenario 1: You provide your task.

User Prompt: “I want you to create a business plan for me. It needs to include a revenue-generating avenue that also supports anti-narwhal hunting causes."

AI Output: Here is your complete business plan covering X, Y, and Z.

Scenario 2: You provide your task WITH the additional clarifying questions sentence.

User Prompt:
“I want you to create a business plan for me. It needs to include a revenue-generating avenue that also supports anti-narwhal hunting causes.

Before you begin, please provide me a comprehensive list of questions that I can answer for you, so you can deliver the highest quality outcome."

AI Output: 
What is the name of your business?
What is the mission and vision of your business?
Why is anti-narwhal hunting important to you, and how do you want to support this cause?
Do you want to focus solely on conservation efforts, or would you like the business to have a broader environmental impact?
Etc... 

In my example test case above, this same prompt generated a list of 30 questions for me to answer with clarifying context.

Prompt:
Before you begin with my request, please provide me a comprehensive list of questions that I can answer for you, so you can deliver the highest quality outcome.

💾 Steal This Prompt and add it to the beginning or end of any request.

The more helpful context you can provide, the better output you’ll get.

🧠 What I’m Learning

Here are a few things that caught my eye this week—great for sparking creative ideas or just geeking out:

• 🔗 That Is Different Level Automation
  Next-level 3D printing. Proof that automation isn’t just about software—it can be physical, too.

• 🔗 What Happens When Two AIs Realize They’re Both AI?
  They switch from English to… well, something else. A funny—and slightly eerie—look at AI’s rapid adaptation.

• 🔗 (ICYMI) How to Use the ITR Framework
  Simple method to prioritize tasks by immediate impact vs. time drain.

• 🔗 A Major Breakthrough in Quantum
  Microsoft’s new Majorana chip could reshape computing as we know it. Keep an eye on quantum—it might overshadow AI someday.

• 🔗 Relaunch of The Operations Guide
  A behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming site revamp. I’m experimenting with a crafty “3D papercraft” style, a playful twist on the standard “futuristic” look.

I’ve been having a blast getting to craft what the future of The Operations Guide is going to look like, and I can’t wait to share with you what’s next. I have also been keeping quite busy working with some of my existing clients, but if you or your organization is in need of some high-level Operations/AI consulting, feel free to get in touch with me.

🎤 What’s Next? I’d Love Your Input

Got ideas, feedback, or questions about this newsletter? I’m always looking for ways to make it more helpful.

Tell me what you think in this quick survey, or just hit reply. It means a lot to me!

Thanks again for reading—here’s to a more efficient inbox and more time to do the things you love!

P.S. If you’re able to auto-draft a reply to this email using the workflow above, I will give you a high five.

-Luke
Founder, The Operations Guide