LinkedIn triage, CXO email, and getting through the list
I worked through a backlog of messages and follow-ups, cleaned up LinkedIn, and checked the email setup for CXO.dev. I also had Codex sit with me while I went through my working list: check whether I'd already replied, figure out what actually needed a decision, handle the next step, and update the list. Having it check the source before asking me to do something was especially useful.
Work through your to-do list with Codex, email, Slack, and Calendar
I had a list of things to get through, but a list by itself wasn't enough. Had I already replied? Was I waiting on someone else? Did the time in the email match the calendar? I had Codex work through it with me, one decision at a time.
For each item, it checked the original conversation and any relevant calendar event before telling me what needed my attention. One scheduling task turned into checking a changed event time against competing invitations, sorting out the current invitation, and updating the working list. That is the sort of thing I would otherwise keep reopening three apps to figure out.
I supplied the judgment: what mattered, what to say, and what I wanted to commit to. Codex handled the source checking and kept the list current as we went. Something already answered could come off the list; something waiting on another person stayed there with a clear next step.
The useful instruction is to check before asking. An agent that hands me a long list of questions has given me another inbox. An agent that comes back with the original message, the current state, and one decision is much easier to work with.
# Work through my list with me
Use the working list I provide. Go one item at a time.
For each item, read the linked source conversation and relevant recent replies. If scheduling is involved, compare the current invitation with my calendar. Do not treat an old summary as the current state.
Before asking me anything, check whether I have already replied, whether someone else owes the next step, and whether the item is just an FYI. Then give me a short explanation and the one decision you need from me, with a link to the source.
Draft the reply or calendar change when useful. Do not send messages, accept invitations, or make commitments without my authorization for that action.
After we handle the item, update the list. Distinguish drafted, sent, complete, and waiting on someone else. Record the next step so I do not have to reconstruct the conversation tomorrow.
Start with the first item that needs my decision.Triage LinkedIn requests and messages with Codex browser use
I had Codex go through LinkedIn connection requests and messages in the signed-in browser. The work was mostly repetitive: open a profile, read the context, decide whether it mattered, and move on. The part I needed to define was what a useful connection looked like to me.
I gave it criteria for people I knew or who had a clear professional connection to my work, examples of obvious pitches to skip, and guidance for short replies that sounded like me. A friendly acknowledgment was fine. Offering a meeting or making a commitment needed my input.
Codex used the LinkedIn interface to review the queue and carry out the actions I had authorized. It left unclear invitations pending and brought the important questions back to me. That removed a lot of opening profiles and navigating between conversations without asking the agent to decide who I should build a relationship with.
If you try this, spend a few minutes on the brief. Your connection criteria and two or three example replies are more useful than telling the agent to clean up LinkedIn. Start with a small batch so you can correct its judgment before it works through the rest.
# LinkedIn triage brief
Help me review connection requests and messages using the signed-in LinkedIn browser.
My connection criteria: [people I know, relevant roles, interests, or shared context].
Requests and pitches to skip: [examples].
Two or three replies that sound like me: [examples].
Start with five items and show me your proposed decisions with links. Read the profile and conversation; do not infer relevance from a job title alone. Leave ambiguous requests pending.
After I approve the criteria and actions, carry out only that scope. Keep acknowledgments short and friendly. Bring substantive questions back to me. Do not offer calls, introductions, hiring, sponsorships, or other commitments on my behalf without approval.
Keep a compact record of completed actions and items that still need my judgment. Do not report a drafted reply as sent.