A specific question, answered specifically.
How to actually reply to emails when you have ADHD
Email is a working-memory disaster for ADHD adults. Each unread message is an open decision: should I reply, should I forward, should I file, should I just close it. With 400 unread, you're carrying 400 open decisions in your peripheral attention. The buffer-side breakdown is in ADHD working memory limits.
What actually works
The 90-second triage. For each email: can I reply or close in 90 seconds? If yes, do it now. If no, drag it into a single folder labeled "Thursday." On Thursday, you batch-process. Most "Thursday" emails will be irrelevant by then.
Templates for the 5 emails you write 80% of the time. "I need a few days, will follow up by [date]." "Got it, will reply with details by Friday." "Apologies, I missed this. Here's the answer." Save them as snippets. The cost of writing the same email twice is what burns out ADHD email response.
Inbox bankruptcy at 1,000+. Pick a date 30 days back. Archive everything older. If something was important, the sender will follow up. Statistically, almost nothing was. The "I've been gone for weeks" version of this move is in how to catch up on six weeks of inbox.
What doesn't work
Inbox zero as a goal. The goal is "inbox not making me anxious." Zero is irrelevant.
Email apps with AI categorization. They categorize, but the action problem is yours, not theirs.
"Just check email twice a day." Helps if you can stick to it. Most ADHD adults can't because of variable interest in the contents.
The Deskrune version
The Job Search Kit includes 12 email templates specifically for the job-application context — including the "I missed your email by 9 days" recovery template that works without making you sound like a flake. Useful even outside job-hunting.
Optional physical: Post-it Super Sticky notes at $10-14. Stick "Thursday" notes onto your monitor for the emails you batched. The physical reminder helps when you can't trust the digital folder.