Inbox Process
Quick triage of inbox items into appropriate PARA locations.
Why This Matters
The inbox is for fast capture without friction. But items that stay there lose value:
- Quick ideas get forgotten
- Reference materials stay unfindable
- Action items never get acted on
Regular inbox processing keeps the capture system trustworthy.
Quick Start
- List items in 01 Inbox/
- For each item: analyze, suggest destination, get confirmation
- Move or delete based on user choice
- Summarize what was processed
Process
Step 1: List Inbox Contents
Read all files in the inbox folder (typically 01 Inbox/).
If inbox is empty, report success and exit.
Step 2: For Each Item
Analyze the content:
- What is this? (idea, reference, task, project seed, etc.)
- Is it actionable?
- Does it relate to existing notes?
Suggest destination:
| Content Type | Suggested Location |
|---|---|
| Active project or has deadline | 02 Projects/ |
| Ongoing responsibility | 03 Areas/ |
| Reference material | 04 Resources/ |
| Completed or outdated | 05 Archive/ |
| Trash or duplicate | Delete |
| Not ready to decide | Keep in Inbox |
Present options to user:
Item: [filename]
Content: [brief summary]
Suggestion: Move to 02 Projects/
Reason: Has clear outcome and deadline mentioned
Options:
1. Move to Projects
2. Move to Areas
3. Move to Resources
4. Archive
5. Delete
6. Keep in Inbox
Step 3: Execute User Choice
- Move file to chosen destination
- Add basic frontmatter if missing:
--- created: YYYY-MM-DD processed: YYYY-MM-DD tags: [] --- - Log the action
Step 4: Summary
After processing all items:
## Inbox Processing Complete
**Processed:** X items
**Inbox remaining:** Y items
| Item | Action | Destination |
|------|--------|-------------|
| Note.md | Moved | 02 Projects/ |
| Idea.md | Deleted | - |
| Link.md | Kept | 01 Inbox/ |
Configuration
Define your vault structure in CLAUDE.md:
## Vault Structure
Folders:
inbox: 01 Inbox/
projects: 02 Projects/
areas: 03 Areas/
resources: 04 Resources/
archive: 05 Archive/
Parameters
Optional modifiers:
quick- Show suggestion, assume yes unless user objectsdry run- Preview without moving filesoldest first- Process by file age instead of name
Success Criteria
- All inbox items reviewed
- User confirmed each action before execution
- Files moved to appropriate locations
- Summary logged
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