Daily Executive Briefing: Start Each Day Knowing What Matters
Get a daily briefing that surfaces your important emails, pending actions, and calendar highlights. Consul prepares your morning context so you start focused, not overwhelmed.
TLDR
Consul generates a daily briefing by analyzing your email, calendar, and Slack to surface what matters most. Instead of opening your inbox to 50+ messages and scrolling through Slack channels, you start with a focused view of priorities, pending actions, and key conversations, so you begin your day prepared.
The Morning Chaos Problem
Most professionals start their day the same way:
- Open email, see 40-80 new messages
- Scan subject lines looking for what matters
- Switch to Slack, scroll through channels catching up
- Get pulled into a thread that wasn't urgent
- 45 minutes later, finally start "real work"
The hidden costs:
- Decision fatigue: Every email and Slack message requires a micro-decision about priority
- Context switching: Important and trivial items are interleaved across multiple apps
- Anxiety: The combined volume feels overwhelming before you've started
- Missed priorities: Critical items buried under routine noise in both email and Slack
Your inbox and Slack are designed for receiving, not for working. Every message has equal visual weight regardless of importance.
The Briefing Solution
What if instead of opening your inbox, you opened a briefing?
A briefing answers: "What do I actually need to know and do today?" It elevates signal and suppresses noise, giving you context before content.
Key Points
- Priority surfacing: Most important emails highlighted first
- Pending actions: Threads awaiting your response identified
- Calendar context: Today's meetings with relevant preparation notes
- Follow-up reminders: Threads you're tracking that need attention
- Noise filtered: Low-priority items grouped for batch processing later
What Your Daily Briefing Contains
Section 1: High-Priority Messages
Messages Requiring Immediate Attention
Consul identifies emails that likely need response today:
- Messages from VIP contacts (executives, key clients, direct reports)
- Emails with urgency signals (deadline mentions, escalation language)
- Time-sensitive scheduling requests
- Threads where you're the blocker
Example:
High Priority (3 items)
📩 Sarah Chen (CEO) - "Q2 board deck feedback needed" Received 6:42am • Mentions deadline: Friday
📩 Alex Rivera (Client: Acme Corp) - "Contract question before signing" Received 8:15am • Awaiting your response to proceed
📩 Jordan Park (Candidate) - "Availability for final interview" Received yesterday • Time-sensitive scheduling
Section 2: Pending Your Response
Threads Where You're the Bottleneck
Consul tracks threads awaiting your response, not new incoming mail, but conversations where someone is waiting on you:
- Unanswered questions
- Meeting requests without confirmation
- Decisions pending your input
- Feedback requests
Example:
Pending Your Response (5 items)
⏳ Taylor Martinez - Waiting 2 days on budget approval ⏳ Dev Team - Waiting 1 day on feature prioritization ⏳ Morgan Lee - Waiting 3 days on vendor recommendation
Section 3: Calendar Context
Today's Meetings with Context
Your calendar for the day, enriched with relevant context:
- Meeting purposes and preparation notes
- Related recent email threads
- Attendee information
- Back-to-back warnings
Example:
Today's Calendar (4 meetings)
🗓️ 9:00am - Weekly 1:1 with Sam (30 min) Last 1:1: discussed project timeline concerns
🗓️ 10:30am - Client call: Acme Corp (60 min) Related thread: Contract question (see High Priority)
🗓️ 1:00pm - Product Review (60 min) You have prep doc to review (in Pending)
🗓️ 3:30pm - Candidate: Jordan Park (45 min) Final round interview • Scheduling pending
Section 4: Follow-Up Reminders
Threads You're Tracking
Consul surfaces threads where you're waiting for response and may need to follow up:
- Proposals sent without response
- Meeting requests outstanding
- Questions you asked that weren't answered
Example:
Follow-Up Candidates (2 items)
🔄 Proposal to Beta Corp - Sent 5 days ago, no response Draft follow-up ready for approval
🔄 Introduction to Casey Kim - Sent 4 days ago No response yet • Within normal window
Section 5: Slack Highlights
Key Slack Activity
Consul scans your Slack channels and DMs to surface conversations that need your attention:
- Important messages from key team members
- Threads where you were mentioned or tagged
- Conversations requiring your input or decision
- Updates from channels you've marked as priority
Example:
Slack Highlights (4 items)
💬 #product-updates - Design review feedback needed Sarah tagged you 2 hours ago
💬 DM from Alex - Quick question about client call Received 7:30am • Awaiting your response
💬 #leadership - Q2 planning discussion Active thread with 12 new messages
Section 6: Everything Else (Batched)
Low-Priority Items Grouped
The remaining emails (newsletters, notifications, FYI threads) are grouped for batch processing:
- Newsletters & Updates: 12 items
- Automated notifications: 8 items
- FYI (cc'd threads): 6 items
- Other: 4 items
You can batch-process these later, or skip them entirely. They're not in your way.
How Consul Generates Your Briefing
Signal Detection
Consul analyzes incoming messages across email and Slack using multiple signals:
| Signal | What It Indicates |
|---|---|
| Sender relationship | VIP contacts, direct reports, key clients |
| Language patterns | Urgency, deadlines, questions directed at you |
| Thread position | Are you the next required action? |
| Timing | How long has it been waiting? |
| Historical patterns | How quickly do you typically respond to this sender? |
| Channel priority | Slack channels you've marked as important |
| Mention context | Direct mentions, replies to your messages |
Learning From You
Consul improves over time:
- If you consistently prioritize emails from certain senders, they surface higher
- If you regularly skip certain types of messages, they move to batched
- Your actions teach Consul your real priorities
Delivery Timing
Configure when you receive your briefing:
- Morning delivery: Default. Briefing arrives before your typical work start
- Custom timing: Set the time that works for your schedule
- Timezone aware: Adjusts for travel automatically
Using Your Briefing Effectively
The 5-Minute Morning Routine
- Open briefing (not inbox)
- Scan high-priority items (30 seconds)
- Decide response approach for each:
- Handle now (if quick)
- Schedule time block
- Approve Consul's draft
- Review pending items (30 seconds)
- Anything blocking others urgently?
- Glance at calendar (30 seconds)
- Preparation needed?
- Proceed with day
Total time: 3-5 minutes. Compare to 30-45 minutes of inbox scanning.
When to Go to Full Inbox
The briefing doesn't replace your inbox. It gives you an entry point. Go to full inbox when:
- You've addressed all high-priority items and want to process more
- You're searching for a specific thread
- You're doing a deep inbox cleanup session
- You prefer the full view for some workflows
The briefing is your dashboard; the inbox is your workbench.
Configuring Your Briefing
VIP Contacts
Mark contacts who should always surface as high-priority:
- Board members
- Key clients
- Direct reports
- Your manager
- Critical partners
Priority Rules
Set rules that elevate certain messages:
- Emails from specific domains (e.g., your biggest client's company)
- Emails containing certain keywords (e.g., "urgent," "deadline," "contract")
- Threads you've starred or flagged
Noise Filters
Configure what gets automatically batched:
- Marketing emails and newsletters
- Automated notifications
- Social media alerts
- Internal announcement lists
The Difference It Makes
Before: Reactive Morning
- Wake up
- Check email on phone (30 messages overnight)
- See mix of urgent and trivial
- Respond to a few, worry about others
- Get to desk, re-scan everything
- Start actual work: 10:30am
After: Focused Morning
- Wake up
- Open briefing (3 high-priority items highlighted)
- Know exactly what needs attention
- Address high-priority items (or approve Consul drafts)
- Start actual work: 8:15am
Result: Same inbox, different experience. The emails didn't change; your entry point did.
Getting Started with Daily Briefings
Connect Your Email
Link your Gmail or Google Workspace account.
Configure VIPs and Rules
Mark important contacts and set priority rules for your workflow.
Set Briefing Time
Choose when you want your daily briefing delivered.
Open Tomorrow's Briefing
Start your next workday with context, not chaos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the briefing replace my inbox?
No. The briefing is an entry point, a dashboard view. Your inbox remains available for full access. The briefing just helps you start focused.
What if I miss something in the briefing?
Consul's prioritization improves over time based on your actions. If you regularly access emails that weren't surfaced, Consul learns to prioritize similar messages. You can also go to your full inbox anytime.
Can I get briefings throughout the day?
The primary briefing is daily, but Consul surfaces urgent items in real-time. High-priority emails that arrive mid-day don't wait for tomorrow's briefing.
How is this different from Gmail's priority inbox?
Gmail's priority inbox uses Google's general algorithms. Consul learns your specific patterns, knows your VIP contacts, tracks your pending threads, and provides a structured briefing format rather than just reordering your inbox.
Can I customize the briefing sections?
Yes. You can adjust which sections appear, change ordering, and set thresholds for what counts as "high priority" vs. "batch later."
Try Daily Briefings
Ready to start each day knowing exactly what needs your attention?
Create your assistant and connect your email. Tomorrow morning, open your briefing instead of your inbox.
Start focused. Stay in control. Never wonder what you're missing.
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