How I Use Fyxer to Run The SD Lab Without Living in My Inbox

Written By

Tom Slocum, Founder & CEO, The SD Lab

Published June 10, 2026 • 6 minute read

The inbox problem nobody talks about

I run a consulting and outbound services business.

On any given day, I'm bouncing between client communication, workshop prep, sales conversations, newsletter partnerships, podcast guests, referrals, and internal operations.

Like most founders, I used to think my problem was volume.

Too many emails

Too many meetings

Too many things happening at once

But after paying closer attention, I realized that wasn't actually the issue.

The real problem was context switching.

Every time I jumped from a client email to Slack, then into a meeting, then back into my inbox, I lost a little bit of momentum. Individually those moments felt small. Collectively they were draining hours from my week.

I wasn't overwhelmed because I had too much work.

I was overwhelmed because I was constantly shifting attention.

My inbox used to dictate my day

For years my inbox functioned like a giant to-do list.

Every new email felt important.

Every notification demanded attention.

Every reply felt urgent.

The result was predictable.

I'd start my morning with one priority, open my inbox for "just a minute," and suddenly find myself thirty minutes later responding to messages that weren't actually moving the business forward.

Sound familiar?

Most founders don't lose productivity because they're lazy.

They lose productivity because they're reactive.

There's a difference.

The three places Fyxer fits into my workflow

After testing Fyxer over the past few weeks, I've found that it helps me in three specific areas.

1. Inbox organization

Before using Fyxer, everything landed in one giant stream.

Client emails

Partnership requests

Newsletter opportunities

Meeting follow-ups

Random notifications

Everything competed for attention at the same time.

What I've noticed with Fyxer is that it helps create structure without requiring me to constantly maintain that structure myself.

Instead of spending mental energy deciding what deserves attention, I can focus more energy on actually responding and taking action.

That sounds simple, but it's a bigger deal than most people realize.

Decision fatigue is real.

The fewer unnecessary decisions I make during the day, the more energy I have for the decisions that actually matter.

2. Draft replies

This is the feature that surprised me the most.

Plenty of AI tools can generate email drafts.

That's not new.

What stood out to me was how quickly Fyxer started producing drafts that felt close to how I would naturally respond.

Instead of staring at a blank email and starting from scratch, I'm often reviewing and refining something that's already most of the way there.

That shift alone removes a surprising amount of friction.

The goal isn't to outsource communication.

The goal is to spend less time fighting the blank page.

3. Meeting follow-up

If you're a founder, consultant, sales leader, or agency owner, you know how easy it is for action items to disappear after a meeting.

You have a great conversation.

Everyone agrees on next steps.

Then reality happens.

The next meeting starts.

More emails arrive.

The day moves on.

One thing I've appreciated is having meeting context connected more closely to my communication workflow.

The continuity matters.

Less hunting for notes.

Less wondering what was discussed.

Less mental effort spent reconstructing conversations from memory.

What actually changed after a few weeks

Whenever I test a new productivity tool, I ask myself one question:

Would I keep using this if nobody paid me to talk about it?

That's usually the quickest way to separate useful tools from shiny objects.

The biggest change for me hasn't been some massive productivity breakthrough.

It hasn't magically created more hours in the day.

What it's done is reduce friction.

My inbox feels lighter.

I spend less energy deciding where to focus.

I stay in deep work longer.

I don't feel the need to check email every few minutes.

And honestly, that's probably the biggest win.

Because most founders aren't looking for another tool.

They're looking for fewer distractions.

Who I think Fyxer is best for

Based on my experience so far, I think Fyxer makes the most sense for:

Founders
Agency owners
Consultants
Sales leaders
Customer success leaders
Operators managing a high volume of communication

If your day revolves around email, meetings, and follow-up, you'll likely get value quickly.

On the flip side, if you receive very little email or rarely manage external communication, it may be more tool than you need.

And that's okay. Not every tool is for every person.

Final thoughts

Most productivity tools promise to help you work faster.

The ones I end up keeping usually do something different.

They help me think about work less.

That's what I've appreciated most while testing Fyxer.

It's reduced friction, cleaned up part of my workflow, and helped me spend more time on actual work instead of managing work.

For a founder, that's a pretty good trade.

Want to see if Fyxer fits your workflow?

Disclosure: This article was created in partnership with Fyxer. Opinions and experiences are my own.