I have hundreds of unread emails. Help me get to inbox zero — and stay there — without spending 8 hours doing nothing else.
INBOX SIZE: {unread + total}
EMAIL CLIENT: {Gmail / Outlook / Apple_Mail / Superhuman / etc.}
AVERAGE EMAILS / DAY received: {number}
WHAT'S CAUSING THE PILEUP: {real_causes — 'I auto-subscribed to 40 newsletters', 'I owe replies to 30 people', 'I keep emails 'just in case''}
MY EMAIL STYLE PREFERENCE: {short_replies / detailed / async_voice_notes}
MY ROLE: {founder / manager / IC / sales / general}
WHAT KILLS my past inbox-zero attempts: {too_complex / spend_4_hours / inbox_repopulates_within_2_days}
TIME I HAVE for the cleanup: {2_hours / a_weekend}
MOBILE OR DESKTOP: {primary_device}
DELIVER:
1. **The initial purge** (2 hours max) — a specific sequence to drop from 3,000 unread to under 50, fast.
2. **The 'four buckets' rule** for ongoing email — delete, archive, reply now, reply later.
3. **Filtering rules** — what to auto-route (newsletters, notifications, social).
4. **The '2-minute rule' application** — when to reply immediately vs schedule.
5. **The 'reply later' system** — how it works without turning into a 200-email graveyard.
6. **Calendar rituals** — when to process email vs do work.
7. **5 templates** for common replies (status, thanks-no, intro responses, scheduling).
8. **The 'declared bankruptcy' option** — when to just archive everything and start fresh, and how to do it without burning bridges.
9. **3 things that re-cause the pileup** — what'll undo this in 2 weeks if you don't address them.0 copies·0 saves·1 views
249 words·1,559 chars
Sample output
Profile: founder, ~3,200 unread, ~80 emails/day, Gmail, kills past attempts because the inbox refills, 2 hours for initial cleanup, mostly desktop.
1. The initial purge (2 hours, in this order):
Step 1 (15 min) — Mass archive by sender: Search by frequent low-value senders (newsletters you skim, marketing emails, automated tools). For each:
Kill 10-15 sender-types. Drops you by 1,500-2,000 emails.
Step 2 (15 min) — Mass archive 'no-reply' senders:
Gmail search: from:noreply OR from:no-reply OR from:notifications. Select all → archive. Then filter to skip-inbox + auto-label.
Drops you by another 500-1,000.
Step 3 (30 min) — Date-bracketed archiving:
Anything older than 60 days that you haven't replied to: highly unlikely to need a reply now. Search: older_than:60d. Select all → archive. (You can search to find them later if needed.)
Parameters
Text generation parameters
FAQ
Set 'archive' as the default keyboard shortcut, not 'delete'. Then archive freely. The fear of 'what if I need this' is what makes people hoard email. Archive + search = same outcome, zero anxiety. The prompt targets ChatGPT (GPT-4) and lives in the Productivity category on mycopyprompt.
This prompt is written for ChatGPT (GPT-4). It's a text/chat prompt — paste it into ChatGPT (GPT-4) (or compatible LLMs like Claude or GPT-4) to get the expected output.
1. Click the Copy button on this page to copy the full prompt. 2. Open ChatGPT (GPT-4). 3. Paste the prompt into a new conversation. 4. Replace any {placeholders} with your specifics, then send. Most prompts produce the right output on the first try; complex ones may need 1-2 iterations.
Yes — every prompt on mycopyprompt is free forever. No paywall, no signup wall for browsing or copying. You can use it for personal or commercial work, just don't redistribute the entire mycopyprompt library.
Absolutely — most prompts are templates. Look for {placeholders} (curly braces) and swap them with your own values. You can also reword sections, add constraints, or chain it with other prompts.
See the "Sample output" panel above — that's a real example of what ChatGPT (GPT-4) returns when this prompt runs. Your output will vary in wording but should follow the same structure and depth.
Similar prompts
Matched against every prompt in the catalog by title.
Drops you by another 500-1,000.
Step 4 (45 min) — Process what remains: You should now be at 100-300 emails. Process top-to-bottom, using the four buckets in section 2 below.
Step 5 (15 min) — Set up filters going forward (section 3).
Result: at inbox 0-50 in 2 hours.
2. The 'four buckets' rule:
Every email gets ONE of these in under 5 seconds:
If you can't decide in 5 seconds, default to archive and search-find it later if needed.
3. Filtering rules (set once, save hundreds of hours):
In Gmail Settings → Filters & Blocked Addresses:
unsubscribe in the body AND a known newsletter sender → skip inbox, apply label 'Newsletters'. Check label weekly, not daily.After setting these, your incoming volume drops to maybe 20-30 emails/day that actually need eyeballs.
4. The 2-minute rule:
If the reply takes < 2 minutes, do it NOW. Don't 'save it for later' — later you'll spend 2 min remembering context + 2 min replying = 4 min.
If it takes > 2 minutes, star/label it and process in your 'reply later' time block (Section 5+6).
5. The 'reply later' system:
Don't let 'reply later' become a graveyard. Two rules:
Rule A: every 'reply later' email gets an action verb mentally attached when you star it:
Rule B: 'reply later' folder gets reviewed twice a week (Tuesday + Friday afternoon). Anything that's been sitting > 5 business days: reply with one of three:
No 'reply later' email survives > 10 business days. Either you reply, or you write the 'I can't engage' note.
6. Calendar rituals:
The single biggest unlock is stop processing email in real-time.
Weekly:
Monthly:
7. Five templates:
Template 1 — Got your note, will reply later: 'Got your email. I want to give this a real reply — will get it back to you by [day]. Thanks for the patience.'
Template 2 — Polite no: 'Thanks for reaching out. I'm at capacity through [month] and can't take this on right now. If [the thing] is time-sensitive, I'd recommend [alternative]. Wishing you well.'
Template 3 — Intro / coffee request decline: 'Thanks for thinking of me. I'm not taking on new intros / calls right now while I focus on [thing]. Following you on LinkedIn for what's next.'
Template 4 — Status update after silence: 'Wanted to circle back — [thing] is on track for [date]. I'll update you again if anything changes. Otherwise expect deliverables on the original timeline.'
Template 5 — Scheduling without the back-and-forth: 'Happy to find a time. Here are three windows that work for me: [day 1, time 1] / [day 2, time 2] / [day 3, time 3]. Or feel free to grab any time on my Calendly: [link].'
8. Declared bankruptcy option:
If the initial purge feels overwhelming, declare bankruptcy:
Step 1: select all → archive (don't delete — archive). Now your inbox is empty.
Step 2: send a brief note to your top 20 contacts: 'I just did an inbox purge. If you sent me something important in the last 30 days that I haven't replied to, please re-send. Apologies, and thanks for the patience.'
That's it. The 20 contacts who matter will re-send. The 200 newsletters and notifications won't. You're at zero.
The people who matter don't think less of you for this. The people who do — that's information.
9. 3 things that will re-cause the pileup: