PRACTICAL CASE · 03
How to Turn an Inbox into a Task Queue
The problem is not the number of emails. The problem is that an important email, an advertisement, and a duplicate all reach the owner in the same way.
Situation
Connect via IMAP using a separate app password, SSL, and a folder for processed emails. Store the `message_id`, date, sender, subject, and cleaned text. An HTML email is data, not an instruction for the agent.
What to do
For each email, determine whether it requires action, its deadline, the financial risk, and whether a response from the owner is needed. A duplicate with the same `message_id` must not update the dashboard again. Archive emails that require no action without sending a Telegram notification.
Checking the result
Test it by sending a test email, a copy of it, an advertising email, and an email with an attachment. Telegram should receive one brief result, only for the email that requires action.
What usually breaks
Do not forward the entire HTML into the notification. Otherwise, CSS and service markup turn into clutter. Extract the content first, then create a brief notification with a link to the source.