Set up your first agent

Name the job

Write one sentence: "Each weekday morning, sort new mail into needs a reply, can wait, and ignore."

Add three rules:

• Do not send, delete, or forward anything
• Do not open attachments
• If you are unsure, leave it in needs a reply

Give it only what that job needs

Connect the inbox as read, or as draft-only if the tool can save drafts. Leave the calendar, the bank, and the website alone until this job is boring.

Run it beside you

For five mornings, compare the agent's sort with yours. Change the instruction when it misses the same kind of message twice. Save the instruction where you can find it next month.

Stop when it is steady

A working agent is a saved instruction plus a habit of checking it. If the job needs your files, your tone, and a person on the hook when it fails, that is setup work, not a longer prompt.