Draft the emails you dread
Every dreaded reply gets a solid draft in under two minutes; you edit tone instead of staring at a blank box.
The problem
Certain replies sit for days because writing them feels heavy: saying no, asking for money, delivering bad news.
What you get
A working system with the steps, tools, checkpoints, and expected return made explicit.
- Setup
- 5 minutes
- Back each week
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- starter
Expected return
The working case
A planning estimate, not a guaranteed result. Measure the first four weeks against your own baseline.
96
hours returned per year
At 2 hours/week across 48 working weeks.
1
week to earn back setup
Compare the setup estimate with the weekly time returned.
Operating contract
Input
The source material, constraints, and examples a human would need to do this work well.
Checkpoint
A person reviews judgment calls, sensitive content, unfamiliar tools, and irreversible actions.
Success signal
Track time returned, corrections required, and exceptions. Keep it only if the measured result compounds.
The steps
- 01
Open any AI chat and describe the situation messily, including what you are worried about.
Copy this prompt
I need to reply to an email I have been avoiding. The situation: [paste the email or describe it]. I am worried about [sounding rude / losing the client / the awkwardness]. Draft a short, kind, clear reply. Ask me one question first if anything important is missing.
- 02
Steer the draft with one-word feedback: "warmer", "shorter", "firmer", until it sounds like you.
- 03
Paste into your email app, read it once out loud, send. Save the prompt as a text shortcut for next time.
What it runs on
Where this goes wrong
- Never paste confidential details (salaries, legal disputes) into a personal AI account; describe the situation generically instead.
- Do not send the first draft unedited; one human pass keeps it sounding like you.
Definition of done
Run it for four weeks. Then make it earn its place.
- □ Baseline the manual time before launch.
- □ Keep a human approval step for consequential output.
- □ Record corrections and exceptions, not just successes.
- □ Expand, revise, or retire it after the first review.
Build the system around it
Related workflows
If this one stops working, tell us. Three reports in a month and it leaves the library until a person has looked at it again.