Automations
Inbox folder to tasks automation
Weekday evenings: everything dropped in your inbox folder triaged into tasks or filed.
Last reviewed July 17, 2026
A cron automation recipe that empties a Drive inbox folder every weekday evening: actionable items become tasks, reference items get filed, junk is flagged.
Schedule: Weekdays at 17:00
0 17 * * 1-5Automation instructions
Process every file in /Inbox. Per item, decide: (1) actionable: create a task with a verb-first title, the source file linked in the description, and a due date ONLY if the item states one; (2) reference: propose the Drive folder it belongs in, from my existing structure; (3) unclear: list it with the one question that would resolve it. Never delete anything. Write the triage summary to /Inbox/triage-YYYY-MM-DD.md: tasks created (with links), filing proposals, and the unclear list. Then move processed actionable and reference files to /Inbox/processed. Cap tasks created at 10 per run; past that, list the overflow for manual review, because 30 auto-created tasks is how task lists die.
Set it up
- 1
Adopt the /Inbox convention
One folder where everything lands: exported notes, screenshots of whiteboards, forwarded text files. Capture without sorting.
- 2
Copy the instructions
The 10-task cap and no-invented-deadlines rule keep the automation from flooding your list with fake urgency.
- 3
Create the automation
17:00 weekdays: the day's captures are triaged before tomorrow's plan is built (pair with the daily standup).