GUIDE 02 / INBOX, TASKS AND CALENDAR
Turn one email into the next step.
A client email is often the brief, the deadline and the invoice argument, all in one message. Give it a client and a next step before you answer it.
WHAT YOU’LL TAKE AWAY
A useful next step,
not another open tab.
- The thread keeps its client, project and Needs reply state.
- A saved ask can open later as a task or a meeting on that conversation.
- Send still waits for you, with Undo while the message is only queued.
Prepare the workspace
Connect a mailbox you can read and send from. You also need access to the client, project and tasks you will use. Create those records first if they do not exist.
Example: North Studio
Willow Bakery emails North Studio asking for a revised homepage by Friday. Maya wants the request, supporting PDF, task and reply to remain easy to find.
Give the message a home
- Open the conversation in Inbox. Check the mailbox and folder if the thread is hard to find, and clear Unread or Needs reply if a filter is hiding it.
- Use Organize to set the category, the client, the project, and whether it still Needs reply.
- If an attachment belongs with the job, use Add to documents on an eligible file so it is in the library, not only in the thread.
Let the ask become work you can open
When mail is classified, extracted actions go into a delivery queue. A saved task stays linked to the source conversation, and a meeting keeps its email link. Open either one from that thread instead of searching for it later.
A suggestion is not an agreement. Ambiguous dates and requests are easy to misread. Review the suggestion in Tasks before you treat it as the job.
Completing a task from the email clears its active calendar deadline. That does not delete the meeting. If the meeting should stay on the calendar, leave it there.
Reply from the address the client should see
Use Reply or Reply all on the conversation. Check the From mailbox. A shared mailbox shows that address to the recipient and records who sent the message.
Send queues the message for at least 30 seconds. Undo send is available until delivery starts. After that, the status moves on and cancellation is no longer available.
Check the outcome
Reopen the conversation and check its client/project. Open the task and verify its deadline and attachment. After sending, inspect the outgoing-mail status; a queued message has not yet been sent.
Avoid a common mistake
Organizing an email does not guarantee that a task was created. Check Work connected to this conversation and Tasks → Needs review before adding one. Keep a copy of an ordinary unqueued draft before refreshing.
Ready to put it into practice?
A quick checklist for this visit. Your company records stay unchanged.
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Further reading
Need help with a specific screen? These articles explain where to click, which fields to fill in and what happens next.
NEXT GUIDE
Give a client job a finish line.
A project goes quiet when the brief, the checkpoints and the next action live in different places. Put them on one client, and decide what "done" means before the work starts.
ContinueGOOD QUESTIONS
A few specifics.
Does every email create a task?
No. A task appears when a saved action from that message calls for one. Review suggestions before you rely on them. You can also open Tasks, choose New task, and link the client or project yourself.
What if search cannot find the thread?
The inbox shows whether you are looking at semantic results or keyword matches. Check the selected mailbox and folder, then clear search, category, Unread and Needs reply filters.