I don’t know when it happened, but 3 months ago, and now, my inbox stopped being a tool and became a stress trap.
- There are tons of unread newsletters I have never read but can’t unsubscribe from.
- Random invoices, alerts, receipts, and spam that sneak past the filters.
- Messages from clients buried under marketing promos from tools I used once.
Inbox Zero Is a Lie
I tried every productivity method:
- The “priority inbox” trick.
- Filtering rules.
- Email snoozing.
Wait, what’s n8n?
n8n (short for “node-to-node”) is a free, open-source automation tool. Think of it like Zapier, but:
- You can host it yourself.
- You’re not nickel-and-dimed for every click.
- It’s absurdly powerful once you set it up.
But you don’t need to be a developer. I just got tired of digital clutter and decided to get curious. What I Built: The “Inbox Sanity” n8n Workflow/
Every 15 minutes, n8n does this:
- Checks my Gmail inbox using IMAP or Gmail API — setup was surprisingly easy.
- Scans new unread emails: Looks at sender, subject line, and keywords.
- Sorts them based on my rules
For example:
- If the email is from a client, push it to a “High Priority” Slack channel.
- If it’s a receipt, save it to a Google Sheet.
- If it has “unsubscribe” in it, move it to the “Newsletters” folder.
- If it’s from LinkedIn, Amazon, or a mailing list → archive automatically.
4. Send me a clean daily digest. Just the important stuff. One Telegram message. No more, no less.
For the first time in years, I wanted to open my inbox. I wasn’t behind anymore. It’s the kind of quiet tech win no one talks about — not sexy enough for LinkedIn, not complex enough for Reddit — but deeply satisfying.
But is it hard to set up?
I won’t lie to you it’s not one-click magic. But if you can follow a YouTube tutorial or install a WordPress plugin, you can set up n8n.
There’s a cloud version now (with a free tier) if you don’t want to self-host. But even self-hosting on a $5/month server takes about 20 minutes.
Here’s what helped me:
- A basic Gmail account (with IMAP enabled)
- One video tutorial on how to connect Gmail in N8N
- Google Sheets and Telegram connected via EasyN8N nodes
I didn’t code. I didn’t hire anyone. I just played with blocks until it worked.
Why This Isn’t Just About Email
Sure, I fixed my inbox. But more importantly:
- I felt less scattered.
- I stopped checking Gmail 15 times a day.
- I trusted that the important stuff would find me.
It’s automation as mental clarity — and I wish I’d done it sooner.
You Deserve an Inbox That Doesn’t Stress You Out
If you’re still copying emails into spreadsheets or checking 6 folders manually, know this: You don’t need another productivity app. You need fewer decisions. And that’s what n8n gave me — a way to offload the noise without losing the signal. Try it. You don’t have to go full cyborg. Just automate one thing. Then another. Let your brain breathe again.
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