A long email from the council, a school newsletter, or a family group chat with 80 unread messages: somewhere in there is the one thing you actually need to know. Chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini are good at finding it for you.
Copy the text, paste it into ChatGPT or Gemini, and ask:
"Summarize this in three short sentences. Then list anything I need to do, with dates, and tell me whether I need to reply."
You can keep going with follow-up questions: "What time does it start?" or "Write a short, friendly reply saying I can come." Always read the original for anything with a deadline or a payment.
One thing to watch: A summary can miss a detail or get a date wrong. Check dates, amounts, and names against the original before you act. Also, do not paste passwords, bank card numbers, or other people's private details into a chatbot.
Next time a message looks like homework, paste it in and ask for the gist. It takes half a minute and saves you the reading.