Short prompts for one job. Copy one, fill in the highlighted brackets, and edit the result. A good answer is a draft you can check, including the surprising ones: a week from a messy list, three lines from a rambling email, questions before a call you are dreading.
A long email often hides the one thing you need. Asking for three lines (what happened, what you need, by when) forces that ask into the open. The draft is for you to edit. It does not know your relationship with the reader.
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The promptRewrite the email below as three short lines I can edit:
Rewrite the email below as three short lines I can edit:
1. What happened, in one line.
2. What I need from the reader, in one line.
3. By when, or "no deadline" if I didn't give one.
Keep my meaning. Take out apologies, backstory and softener phrases. Use simple language an everyday person would understand. If the email is cross, make this version calm and factual. Do not add promises, dates or facts that are not in the email.
EMAIL:
"""
[paste the email you would have sent, with names and account numbers removed]
"""
What good looks like
You can see the ask in one glance.
Nothing new was invented: no extra deadlines, refunds or blame.
It still sounds like something you would send, after you change a few words.
Sorting a list is a job chat tools are actually good at, because you already wrote the raw material. They are poor at knowing which meeting is immovable or which day you are tired, unless you say so. The useful part is the grouping, not a fantasy of a perfect week.
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The promptTurn this messy list into a one-week plan. I will edit it.
Turn this messy list into a one-week plan. I will edit it.
Fixed things I cannot move: [meetings, school drop-off, shifts, or "none"]
Days I have less energy or less time: [e.g. Thursday afternoon]
Roughly how long I can spend on this list each weekday: [e.g. 45 minutes]
LIST:
"""
[paste the brain dump. One task per line if you can, but messy is fine]
"""
Give me Monday to Sunday. Each day: at most three tasks, the smallest first.
Put anything that does not fit under "Later or drop".
If two tasks need the same person or the same place, group them.
Do not invent deadlines. Mark anything vague as a question for me.
What good looks like
Each day has a short list you could actually start.
Overflow is named, not silently deleted.
Questions show where your note was too vague to plan.
People freeze because they think they need a grand project. A useful first step is a list of questions about one task you already do. The tool should not invent time saved. You still decide what your employer allows you to paste.
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The promptI do this job: [job title in plain words, e.g. "office administrator at a small clinic"].
I do this job: [job title in plain words, e.g. "office administrator at a small clinic"].
A task that eats time: [one real task].
Tools I'm allowed to use at work: [name them, or "I don't know yet"].
Suggest five questions I could ask a chat tool about that task.
For each question, say what I must not paste (customer details, staff details, passwords, health information, anything confidential).
Then write the first prompt I should try, with [BRACKETS] for the parts only I know.
Do not estimate hours saved or money saved. Do not suggest buying software.
What good looks like
The five questions are about your task, not a generic list of "AI use cases".
Each one says what to leave out.
The first prompt still has blanks, because it cannot know your files.
Choosing feels stuck when the options are still a muddle in your head. A chat tool can lay out what you already know, side by side, and show what is missing. It should not pick the winner. You know constraints it does not, and it will sound confident anyway.
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The promptHelp me think about a decision. Do not tell me what to choose.
Help me think about a decision. Do not tell me what to choose.
Decision: [what you're deciding, in one sentence]
Option A: [first option]
Option B: [second option]
What matters to me, in order: [e.g. cost, time, other people affected]
What I've already ruled out: [or "nothing yet"]
1. A table with one row per thing that matters, and a cell for each option, using only what I wrote. Write "not stated" if I didn't say.
2. The single biggest unknown that would change the choice.
3. Three questions I could answer this week to shrink that unknown.
4. A one-line reminder of what this choice does not need to settle forever.
If I have only given you one option, say so and ask what the alternative is.
What good looks like
Empty cells stay empty. They are not filled with guesses.
You get a next question, not a verdict.
You could show the table to someone else and they would follow it.
Notes fail when decisions and jobs are mixed in with chatter. Asking for three piles (decided, to do, still open) matches how people actually use notes afterwards. If the notes never said who owns a job, the draft should leave that blank.
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The promptSort these notes. Only use what is written. Use simple language an everyday person would understand.
Sort these notes. Only use what is written. Use simple language an everyday person would understand.
NOTES:
"""
[paste notes from a meeting, a call or a notebook. Remove names if you need to]
"""
Produce:
1. Decisions: only things the notes say were agreed. Quote the short phrase you relied on.
2. Actions: a table with task | owner | when. If the notes don't say, write "not named".
3. Open questions.
4. Anything that looks like a guess I might later treat as a fact. List it under "Don't file this as agreed".
Do not add tasks I did not write.
What good looks like
Owners are blank when the notes were blank.
A "don't file this" line stops a fuzzy comment becoming a decision.
You can paste the result into the notes you already keep.
A formula that runs is not a formula that means what you think. A reading in everyday words, including what a blank cell does, takes about a minute. Check the function name on the vendor’s own list. Test it on a copy.
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The promptExplain this spreadsheet formula in simple language an everyday user would understand. The app is [Excel or Google Sheets].
Explain this spreadsheet formula in simple language an everyday user would understand. The app is [Excel or Google Sheets].
FORMULA:
"""
[paste the formula]
"""
What I think it does: [one sentence, or "I don't know"]
1. Say what it calculates, naming what each part does.
2. Say what it does if a referenced cell is blank or text.
3. Give me one tiny test table (a few cells of fake numbers) and what I should see.
4. If the formula looks wrong for what I think it does, say why, and show a corrected version I can test on a copy.
Do not tell me to run it on the only copy of the file.
What good looks like
You could explain the formula back to a colleague.
The blank-cell case is mentioned, not skipped.
Any replacement formula is labelled as something to test, not as already correct.
Busy people read the first lines and stop. A short version is not a dumber version: it is the decision, the ask and the risk, with the story left behind. You add back anything that must not be cut.
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The promptRewrite the update below so a busy person can read it in under a minute.
Rewrite the update below so a busy person can read it in under a minute.
UPDATE:
"""
[paste the long update. Remove confidential figures if you are not allowed to share them]
"""
Use this shape:
- Decision or status, in one sentence.
- What I need from the reader, in one sentence. If nothing, say "For information".
- The one risk or blocker, or "None in the note".
- Three bullets of the minimum background.
Cut throat-clearing and repeated points. Do not soften a real problem into "all fine". Do not add numbers that are not in the update.
What good looks like
The ask is in the first two lines.
A problem in the original is still visible.
You did not have to hunt the long version to see what was dropped.
Official letters are written for the sender’s process, not for you. A plain restatement shows what it is asking and by when. It is not advice. If money, tax, benefits or a court is involved, act on the letter and a proper source, not on the summary. Take your personal details out before you paste.
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The promptExplain this letter in simple language an everyday person would understand. I have removed my name, address and reference numbers. This is to help me understand the words, not legal, tax or financial advice.
Explain this letter in simple language an everyday person would understand. I have removed my name, address and reference numbers. This is to help me understand the words, not legal, tax or financial advice.
LETTER:
"""
[paste the letter]
"""
1. In three sentences: who it says it is from, what it is about, and whether it asks me to do anything.
2. List every action, date, amount and reference it mentions. Quote the wording.
3. Explain jargon in a few words each.
4. Questions I should ask the sender, and what to have ready.
5. Anything that is a reason to check it is genuine before I pay or reply (rush to pay, odd payment method, contact details that don't match the organisation's own website).
If the letter does not say something, write "not stated". Do not guess.
What good looks like
You can say, in your own words, what the letter wants.
Dates and amounts match the letter, because they are quoted.
You still know you need the sender or Citizens Advice if you are unsure, not the chat tool.
Meal planning stalls when the plan ignores the food you already have. A short list of meals from those ingredients is more useful than a new recipe hobby. This is not a diet and not medical advice. If you have a condition with a prescribed diet, follow that. The NHS Eatwell Guide is general healthy-eating guidance for most people, not a meal plan for you.
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The promptSuggest four simple meals I can cook from what I already have. Use simple language an everyday person would understand. This is not medical or diet advice.
Suggest four simple meals I can cook from what I already have. Use simple language an everyday person would understand. This is not medical or diet advice.
What I have: [list food in the fridge, freezer and cupboard that you are willing to use]
People eating: [how many, and ages only if it changes the meal, e.g. young children]
Avoid: [allergies, foods you won't eat, or "none"]
Time I have on a weeknight: [e.g. 30 minutes]
Kitchen kit: [e.g. stove and oven, no blender]
For each meal: a name, the ingredients from my list it uses, and the steps in short lines.
Then list a few cheap staples that would make another meal possible, marked as "I may not have these".
Do not set calorie targets. Do not tell me to cut out a food group.
If my list is too thin to make four meals, say so and suggest fewer.
What good looks like
The meals use food you named, not a surprise shopping list dressed up as a plan.
Missing items are labelled as missing.
You could start cooking the first one without another search.
A chat tool will happily invent opening times and prices. The useful version refuses to. It gives you a shape for the days and a list of things you still have to confirm. For the money side, a budget is categories you fill in yourself. MoneyHelper’s budget planner is built for that. This prompt does not book anything.
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The promptDraft a simple outline for a trip. Do not invent prices, opening times, visa rules or train times. If you don't know, write "check".
Draft a simple outline for a trip. Do not invent prices, opening times, visa rules or train times. If you don't know, write "check".
Where: [place]
Dates: [dates or number of days]
Who: [who is coming, no full names needed]
Budget I have already decided: [a figure, or "not set"]
Already booked: [or "nothing"]
Pace: [quiet, or out all day]
Must-do and won't-do: [e.g. one museum, no long hikes]
Give me:
1. A day-by-day skeleton with morning / afternoon / evening, in the place I named. Mark each item "idea" unless I already booked it.
2. A "check before you trust this" list: travel time, tickets, accessibility, weather, closures.
3. Budget headings only (travel, stay, food, tickets, buffer), with a blank for the amount. Do not fill the blanks.
4. What I should sort first, and what can wait.
What good looks like
Ideas are labelled as ideas.
The budget headings are empty, so you are not looking at made-up prices.
The check-list is specific enough to work through.
A wall of explanation is hard to trust and hard to remember. A short explanation, one example, and three questions gives you something to push back on. Ask it what it might be wrong about. For health, money or the law, use a proper source rather than a lesson from a chat tool.
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The promptExplain [TOPIC] to me. I am new to it. Use simple language an everyday person would understand, and short sentences.
Explain [TOPIC] to me. I am new to it. Use simple language an everyday person would understand, and short sentences.
Then:
1. Five bullets I could reread tomorrow.
2. One concrete example.
3. Three questions to check I followed, with the answers underneath so I can try first and then look.
4. Two things you might be wrong or out of date about, and the kind of source I should check (official site, textbook, a person qualified in this).
Do not give medical, legal or financial advice. If this topic needs a qualified person, say that in the first lines.
What good looks like
You can cover the answer with your hand and try the three questions.
The first lines say if this is the wrong tool for the topic.
The example is specific enough to repeat in your own words.
The cross version is often the honest first draft. Sending it makes a second problem. A calm rewrite keeps the facts and the ask, and drops the heat. You choose whether the softer one still says the thing that matters. For a consumer complaint, check your rights with Citizens Advice before you rely on a letter.
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The promptHere is a message I am too cross to send as it is. Rewrite it so it is calm, short and factual. Keep the ask.
Here is a message I am too cross to send as it is. Rewrite it so it is calm, short and factual. Keep the ask.
MESSAGE:
"""
[paste your draft]
"""
What I want them to do: [one sentence]
Tone: firm and polite, not friendly and not angry.
Give me two versions:
1. The one I could send.
2. A slightly firmer one, still without insults or threats.
List any fact in my draft that a stranger could not prove, so I can take it out or back it up.
Do not add legal claims. Do not tell me I am entitled to money.
What good looks like
The ask survived the rewrite.
Insults and sarcasm are gone.
Shaky facts are pointed out instead of polished into certainty.
The useful work happens before you dial. A short list of questions, plus the one outcome you want, stops the call wandering. The tool has not met the other person. Treat the list as a cue card, and leave room to listen.
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The promptI have to speak to someone and I want a cue card, not a script to read out.
I have to speak to someone and I want a cue card, not a script to read out.
Who they are to me: [e.g. my landlord, my manager, a clinic, a supplier]
What the call is about: [one or two sentences]
What I want by the end: [one outcome]
What I already know: [facts, dates, reference numbers with personal details removed]
What I'm worried they will say: [or "not sure"]
Give me:
1. The outcome, restated in one line, so I can check you understood.
2. Up to six questions, in the order I should ask them.
3. Three facts I should have in front of me.
4. A polite line to use if I need to stop and say I'll reply later.
Do not write a pretend dialogue. Do not tell me to record the call.
What good looks like
The questions are ones you could ask out loud.
The outcome is one line, so you notice if the call drifts.
There is a way to end without agreeing on the spot.
Being stuck is usually about tone or about not knowing what you are willing to commit to. Splitting "what I can say now" from "what I will not promise yet" gets a reply out without inventing a yes. You still press send.
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The promptDraft a reply I can edit. I have been stuck on this message.
Draft a reply I can edit. I have been stuck on this message.
THEIR MESSAGE:
"""
[paste it, with personal details removed if this is not your own private tool]
"""
What is true: [the facts you are willing to say]
What I can offer: [or "I can't offer anything yet"]
What I will not promise: [or "nothing specific"]
Relationship: [e.g. a customer, my sister, a colleague I don't know well]
Length: under 120 words. Use simple language an everyday person would understand.
Write one reply. After it, list any place you had to guess, so I can fix those words.
Do not apologise on my behalf for things I did not mention.
What good looks like
The reply is short enough to send today.
Guesses are listed underneath, not buried in the paragraph.
Writers go blind to gaps in their own plan. A chat tool has no stake in it, so it is useful as a nitpicker: missing owners, missing dates, steps that depend on someone who has not agreed. It is not a sign-off. You still own the plan.
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The promptRead this plan as a careful colleague. Find gaps. Do not praise it and do not rewrite it unless I ask.
Read this plan as a careful colleague. Find gaps. Do not praise it and do not rewrite it unless I ask.
PLAN:
"""
[paste the plan]
"""
List:
1. Steps with no owner.
2. Steps with no timing.
3. Things that assume someone else has agreed, where the plan does not say they have.
4. What happens if the risky step slips.
5. Up to five questions you would ask before calling this ready.
If the plan is already tight, say "no gap I can see" for that item. Do not invent risks that the plan's subject could not have.
What good looks like
The notes are gaps, not a new plan you did not ask for.
You can answer the questions in the document you already have.