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spark-recipe-vacation-catchup

Productivity
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Process a large email backlog after time away: assess by category, batch-archive noise, and surface what needs attention.

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Recipe: Vacation Catchup

Process a large email backlog after vacation or extended absence. Prioritize ruthlessly, batch-archive noise, and surface only what truly needs attention.

Prerequisite: Read the use-spark base skill for command reference and filter syntax.

Access level required: triage.

Steps

Step 1: Assess the backlog

Count unread emails by category for the absence period. Adjust the time window to match how long the user was away:

spark emails Inbox --filter "category:priority is:unread newer_than:14d"
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:personal is:unread newer_than:14d"
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:invitation newer_than:14d"
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:notification is:unread newer_than:14d"
spark emails Inbox --filter "category:newsletter newer_than:14d"

Report the totals: "You have N unread across all categories: X priority, Y people, Z invitations, W notifications, V newsletters."

Step 2: Process priority mail first

spark emails Inbox --filter "category:priority is:unread"

Read each thread and present the key items. These are the most important and should be handled individually.

Step 3: Process people mail

spark emails Inbox --filter "category:personal is:unread"

For each, read the thread to check if the matter is still open or was resolved while the user was away:

spark thread <id>

Mark resolved threads as read: spark action markAsSeen <id>

Step 4: Process invitations

spark emails Inbox --filter "category:invitation"

Check which invitations are for past dates (already missed) vs. future dates. Only future invitations need a decision.

Step 5: Batch-archive notifications

Most notifications older than a few days are no longer actionable:

spark emails Inbox --filter "category:notification is:unread"

Review the senders briefly, then archive in bulk:

spark action archive <id1> <id2> <id3> <id4> <id5>

Step 6: Batch-archive newsletters

Old newsletters have no urgency:

spark emails Inbox --filter "category:newsletter"

Archive all but the most recent from each sender:

spark action archive <id1> <id2> <id3>

Step 7: Review new senders (GateKeeper)

New senders may have accumulated during the absence:

spark emails Inbox --new-senders

Accept legitimate contacts and block unwanted ones:

spark contact-action acceptContact sender@company.com
spark contact-action blockContact spammer@example.com

Step 8: Set reminders for deferred items

For items that need attention but not right now:

spark action snooze <id> --date 2026-04-12
spark action changeReminder <id> --date 2026-04-15

Step 9: Report

Summarize: "Processed N emails. X need your attention (listed above), Y archived, Z snoozed for later."

Tips

  • The key principle is aggressive batch processing. Don't read every notification and newsletter individually.
  • Priority and people mail get individual attention; notifications and newsletters get batch treatment.
  • Past-date invitations can be archived without action - the meeting already happened.
  • If the user was away for more than two weeks, increase the newer_than window accordingly.
  • After the catchup, run recipe-inbox-by-category to verify the inbox is in good shape.
  • GateKeeper review is easy to forget - new senders may include important contacts who emailed during the absence.
  • Snooze items to spread the follow-up work across multiple days rather than trying to handle everything at once.