One True Prompt — Issue 136
Here are 10 prompts you can use today. Each one is ready to copy and paste into ChatGPT or Claude. Try at least one.
Prompt: Plan My Day Around Energy & Appointments (Office Worker)
Copy and paste this:
Act as a productivity coach who understands GTD, time-blocking, and working adults with mixed energy during the day.
Here is my situation for today:
- I’m working from home.
- My role: Senior account manager at a marketing agency.
- Normal work hours: 9:00 - 17:30.
- Energy pattern: Sharp in the morning, dip after lunch, decent again late afternoon.
- Energy level right now (1 - 10): 6.
- Today’s fixed appointments (all times local):
- 9:30 - 10:00: Zoom check-in with my boss (weekly status).
- 11:00 - 12:00: Client call with GreenLeaf Foods (important).
- 14:00 - 15:00: Internal project meeting (can’t skip).
- My top 5 tasks for today:
1) Finish draft presentation for GreenLeaf Foods Q3 campaign (90 min, high focus).
2) Clear out email backlog from this week (60 min, low - medium focus).
3) Review and approve 3 junior team reports (60 min, medium focus).
4) Prepare talking points for my 9:30 boss check-in (20 min, medium focus).
5) Pay two household bills online and schedule a dentist appointment (30 min, low focus).
Plan my workday from 8:30 - 17:30 as a realistic schedule that:
- Protects 2 - 3 blocks of deep work for task #1.
- Uses lower-energy times for admin (email, bills).
- Includes short breaks.
- Leaves a 30-minute buffer in the afternoon for spillover or unexpected issues.
Output:
1) A simple timetable in 30-minute blocks (with times and tasks).
2) A short “pre-flight checklist” for the first 10 minutes of my day.
3) A 2-sentence rule for what I should do when something urgent disrupts the schedule.
Use case: Marta (52), a senior account manager who works from home, feels her days get hijacked by email and meetings. She wants a simple, realistic plan she can follow without thinking too much.
Expected result: A clear, hour-by-hour schedule, a 10-minute start-of-day routine, and a fallback rule for interruptions.
Pro tip: Tomorrow, paste the same prompt but update only the fixed appointments, tasks, and energy level - let the AI rebuild a fresh plan in 60 seconds each morning.
Prompt: Turn a Messy To-Do List into a Calm Plan
Copy and paste this:
Act as a practical, no-nonsense productivity coach for a busy adult juggling work and home.
Here is my messy to-do list for the next 3 days (mix of work and personal):
WORK
- Finish draft of Q2 budget spreadsheet.
- Call supplier “Northstar Printing” about delayed brochure order.
- Reply to 18 unread client emails in Outlook.
- Read and comment on 12-page “Customer Satisfaction Survey 2025” report.
- Prepare 3 talking points for Thursday’s staff meeting.
- Update LinkedIn profile with my new job title.
PERSONAL
- Book an eye test at Specsavers.
- Order birthday gift for my sister Anna (turning 47 next week).
- Sort through the stack of papers on the hall table.
- Call my mum for a proper 30-minute catch-up.
- Spend 20 minutes doing back stretches (physio exercises).
- Renew my car insurance before it auto-renews on 20th.
Today is Day 1 of 3. I have about 3 hours available today outside of meetings and family time.
Please:
1) Sort these tasks into:
- “Today (Day 1)”
- “Tomorrow (Day 2)”
- “Later This Week (Day 3)”
2) Within “Today”, create:
- One 60 - 90 minute deep-focus block.
- Two 25-minute lighter blocks.
3) For each task, estimate time (in minutes) and label as High / Medium / Low importance.
4) Give me a simple 3-bullet “If I only do three things today, do these” list.
Use plain language, no jargon.
Use case: Ian (61) has a scribbled notebook and notes on his phone but no sense of what to do first. This helps him turn the chaos into a simple, 3-day plan.
Expected result: A prioritized 3-day schedule, realistic time estimates, and a short “top three” list for today.
Pro tip: Next time, paste your actual to-do list from Notes or Outlook tasks directly after “Here is my messy to-do list…” and let the AI re-organize it for you.
Prompt: Summarise a Long Email Thread and Tell Me What To Do
Copy and paste this:
You are my email assistant. Your job is to read the following long email thread and then:
1) Write a clear summary in no more than 10 bullet points.
2) List all decisions that have already been made.
3) List all open questions that still need an answer.
4) Write a numbered list of concrete action items for me personally, each with:
- what I need to do,
- by when,
- and suggested wording if I need to reply.
Here is the full email thread (including replies and forwards). Ignore signatures and disclaimers:
[PASTE BELOW THIS LINE]
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Subject: Community Centre Renovation - Next Steps
From: Sarah Thompson
To: David Ellis , Mark Patel
Date: 13 May 2026, 09:12
Hi David and Mark,
Thanks again for volunteering to help with the Riverside Community Centre renovation.
Key points from Wednesday’s meeting:
- Budget confirmed at £45,000.
- Work must be completed by 30 September 2026.
- Priority areas: main hall flooring, roof repairs, and disabled access ramp.
Open items:
- Finalise list of local contractors to invite for quotes.
- Decide whether to keep or remove the old stage in the main hall.
- Confirm if weekend access is possible for volunteer painting teams.
Next steps:
- Please see attached notes and share any corrections by Friday 16 May.
- David, could you coordinate the shortlist of contractors?
- Mark, please check health & safety requirements for volunteer teams.
Best,
Sarah
Prompt: Weekly Review & Planning (Office + Home)
Copy and paste this:
Act as my weekly review coach. I’m a working adult balancing a full-time job and home responsibilities.
Here is what happened this past week:
WORK
- Wins:
- Delivered a draft Q2 budget on time and my manager said it was “clear and thorough”.
- Helped a colleague, James, untangle a tricky Excel report in under an hour.
- Challenges:
- I let my email inbox climb to 146 unread messages.
- I pushed preparation for Thursday’s staff meeting to the last minute and felt rushed.
- Ongoing projects:
- “Website refresh” - still waiting for the designer to send updated mockups.
- “Client onboarding process” - created a first draft checklist but haven’t shared it yet.
PERSONAL
- Wins:
- Went for a 30-minute walk 4 days out of 7.
- Finally set up online access for my bank accounts.
- Challenges:
- Stayed up too late (after 11:30 pm) on three nights scrolling on my phone.
- Didn’t do any of my back physio exercises.
Next week I have:
- A dentist appointment Wednesday at 17:00.
- A big presentation to prepare for Friday afternoon.
- Two evenings already booked: Tuesday (friend’s birthday meal) and Thursday (choir rehearsal).
Please:
1) Extract the main patterns you see (2 - 3 for work, 2 - 3 for personal).
2) List my top 5 priorities for next week (mix of work and personal).
3) Create:
- A “Start Doing” list (3 items),
- A “Stop Doing” list (3 items),
- A “Continue Doing” list (3 items).
4) Suggest a simple 20-minute weekly review ritual I can repeat every Sunday evening, step-by-step.
Keep it practical and encouraging, not fluffy.
Use case: Linda (63) wants to feel more in control of her weeks instead of just “surviving” them. This prompt turns reflection into a simple system she can repeat.
Expected result: A clear sense of what went well, what didn’t, what to focus on next week, and a reusable Sunday review checklist.
Pro tip: Save the output as “Weekly Review - Template” and each Sunday just replace the “Here is what happened this past week” section with the new week’s notes.
Prompt: Break a Procrastinated Task into Tiny Steps
Copy and paste this:
You are a compassionate but firm productivity coach. Your job is to help me stop procrastinating on one specific task by breaking it into tiny, non-scary steps.
Here is the task I’ve been avoiding:
“Sort out and file the big pile of financial paperwork in the spare room, including old bank statements, utility bills, pension letters, and tax documents.”
Here is why I’m avoiding it:
- It feels overwhelming and boring.
- I’m worried I’ll accidentally throw something important away.
- I don’t know what to keep and what to shred.
Constraints:
- I can only work in 20-minute bursts.
- I’d like to make real progress over the next 7 days.
Please:
1) Turn this into a 7-day plan with one 20-minute session per day.
2) For each day, give:
- a tiny starting action (something I can do in 2 minutes),
- the main task for that 20-minute block,
- a simple “done for today” check so I know when to stop.
3) Give me a simple rule-of-thumb (in plain English) for:
- what to keep,
- what to scan,
- what to shred.
4) Suggest a small, immediate reward I can give myself after each 20-minute session that doesn’t cost money.
Use case: Peter (67) has years of paperwork piled in a spare room. The task feels impossible, so he keeps putting it off. This prompt makes it bite-sized and doable.
Expected result: A day-by-day mini-plan and practical rules for how to handle different documents, plus small rewards to keep going.
Pro tip: Next time you’re stuck on a different task (e.g., “sort digital photos” or “start exercise routine”), swap the description in “Here is the task I’ve been avoiding” and keep the rest of the prompt the same.
Prompt: Turn Meeting Notes into Actions and a Summary
Copy and paste this:
You are a professional meeting assistant. I’ll paste my rough notes from a work meeting. Your job is to:
1) Create a clear, concise summary (5 - 10 bullet points).
2) List all decisions made.
3) List all action items, each with:
- owner (person responsible),
- specific task,
- due date (or suggested timeframe).
4) Suggest a short email I can send to attendees with:
- a brief thank-you,
- the summary,
- and the action items clearly laid out.
Here are my rough notes from today’s “Monthly Marketing Check-in” meeting:
- People: Me (Karen), Tom (Head of Marketing), Aisha (Social Media), Raj (Email Marketing).
- Overall: Website traffic up 12% vs last month. Email open rates down from 32% to 27%.
- Tom: wants more focus on quality leads, not just overall traffic.
- Aisha:
- Reels doing well on Instagram - last 3 videos had 5k, 6.2k, and 7.1k views.
- Struggling to keep up with comments - suggests we trial a student intern for 8 hours/week.
- Raj:
- Email open rates down, thinks subject lines are too generic.
- Wants to run A/B tests on subject lines for June newsletter.
- Me (Karen):
- Reported that Google Ads spend is under budget by ~£600 this month.
- Suggested trying a small test campaign targeting local searches.
Decisions I remember:
- Agree to let Raj run subject line A/B tests in June.
- Aisha to draft a simple plan for an intern (role, tasks, cost estimate).
- I (Karen) to propose 2 - 3 ideas for a local search ad test for next meeting.
- Next meeting: same time in four weeks.
Now process this and provide the summary, decisions, actions, and email.
Use case: Karen (49) often scribbles messy notes during meetings and then loses track of who agreed to do what. She wants clean minutes and a ready-to-send follow-up.
Expected result: A clear summary, an action list with owners and dates, and a polished email she can paste into Outlook.
Pro tip: After your next meeting, paste your raw notes under “Here are my rough notes…” and reuse the same structure to get instant, professional follow-up emails.
Prompt: Design a Simple Morning Routine for Focus
Copy and paste this:
Act as a realistic habit coach for a 50-something professional who wants a calmer, more focused start to the day.
Here are the facts about me:
- Age: 55.
- Work: Office job in finance, often on Microsoft Teams calls from 9:00 onwards.
- Current mornings:
- Wake up around 6:45 but often scroll on my phone until 7:30.
- Rush through coffee and toast.
- Check email before I’ve even got dressed.
- Often feel stressed before 9:00.
- Goals:
- Start the day feeling calmer and more in control.
- Have 20 - 30 minutes for myself before work.
- Reduce mindless phone scrolling.
Constraints:
- I need to leave the house / be at my desk by 8:45.
- I don’t want anything that feels too “woo-woo” or complicated.
Please:
1) Design a 30-minute morning routine from 7:00 - 7:30 that:
- doesn’t involve checking my phone,
- includes at least one movement element,
- includes a quick planning moment for the day.
2) Break it into 5-minute chunks (e.g., 7:00 - 7:05, 7:05 - 7:10, etc.).
3) Suggest a one-sentence “morning rule” about my phone.
4) Create a simple 3-bullet checklist I can put on a sticky note next to my bed.
Keep it practical for a normal person, not a fitness influencer.
Use case: Alan (55) wants to stop starting his day with stress and news headlines. This gives him a simple, realistic routine he can actually follow.
Expected result: A detailed 30-minute schedule, a clear phone rule, and a tiny checklist he can see first thing.
Pro tip: Once you’ve tried it for a few days, paste the routine back into the chat and ask the AI: “Adjust this based on what I actually did and liked” to refine it.
Prompt: Turn a Big Project into a Simple Timeline
Copy and paste this:
You are a project simplifier for busy adults who don’t live in project management software.
Here is my real project:
“Organise a 40th wedding anniversary party for my friends Julia and Michael on 21 September at the Oakwood Community Hall, for around 60 guests.”
Details I already know:
- Date: 21 September.
- Venue: Oakwood Community Hall (booked 5 - 11 pm).
- Budget: Around £2,000.
- Ideas:
- Buffet-style food.
- Simple decorations (photos of Julia & Michael, fairy lights).
- Music: a mix of 70s/80s favourites and some songs from their wedding.
- People who have offered to help:
- Sarah - good with decorations.
- Tom - happy to be in charge of music / playlists.
- Me - overall organiser.
Today’s date: mid-May, so I have about 4 months.
Please:
1) Break this project into major phases with dates (e.g., “This week”, “Next month”, “Final 2 weeks”, “Day of the party”).
2) For each phase, list 5 - 10 concrete tasks in plain language.
3) Assign tasks to “Me”, “Sarah”, or “Tom” where appropriate.
4) Highlight the 5 tasks that are most critical not to leave until the last minute.
5) Create a simple one-page checklist I can print and tick off as I go.
Use case: Rebecca (59) is good at saying “yes” to helping friends but then feels overwhelmed by the planning. This gives her a clear timeline and checklist for a specific event.
Expected result: A phased timeline, delegated tasks, key priorities, and a printable checklist.
Pro tip: For any big life project (house move, trip, renovation), paste the real details just like this and let the AI produce an easy-to-follow plan you can print.
Prompt: Simplify and Shorten a Long Document
Copy and paste this:
You are an editing assistant for a busy professional who wants shorter, clearer documents.
I will paste a long document below (in this case, a draft internal memo about changing our office printer policy). Your job is to:
1) Produce a version that:
- is no longer than 300 words,
- uses plain, everyday language,
- keeps all essential facts and dates.
2) Provide a bullet-point summary of the key points (max 8 bullets).
3) Suggest a suitable email subject line to send this to staff.
Here is the document:
[PASTE BELOW THIS LINE]
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Subject: Proposed Changes to Office Printing and Paper Use Policy
Over the past 12 months, our company has seen a substantial increase in the amount of paper being used across all departments. According to figures provided by Facilities and IT, we printed approximately 850,000 pages in the last year, which represents an increase of almost 25% compared with the previous year. As we continue to work towards our environmental sustainability targets for 2030, as well as seeking to manage our overall costs, we must look at ways of reducing unnecessary printing and encouraging more efficient habits.
First, we propose moving all office printers to “double-sided” as the default setting. This single change could reduce our paper use by an estimated 30%, according to IT’s analysis. Staff will still be able to choose single-sided printing where necessary (for example, for formal documents or specific client requirements), but the default will be double-sided.
Second, we plan to introduce simple print codes for each department. This means that when you print, you will enter your department code (Finance, HR, Sales, etc.). The aim is not to monitor individuals but to understand which departments are printing the most. Monthly reports will be shared with department heads so they can see patterns and identify opportunities to reduce waste.
Third, we will encourage more use of digital alternatives. This includes sharing meeting papers electronically in advance, using shared drives more consistently, and avoiding printing emails “for the file”. We will provide short guidance on secure digital storage to address any concerns about confidentiality.
If these changes are approved by the leadership team on 5 June, we plan to start the new policy from 1 July. There will be a short “grace period” in July where we gather feedback and fix any unexpected issues.
Thank you for your cooperation and for supporting our efforts to reduce paper waste and manage costs responsibly.
-
[END OF DOCUMENT]
Now provide the shorter version, bullet summary, and email subject line.
Use case: Janet (57) writes long, careful documents but her colleagues don’t always read them fully. This prompt helps her produce a shorter, clearer version in minutes.
Expected result: A 300-word plain-language memo, a bullet-point summary, and a strong email subject line.
Pro tip: Use this with any long text: paste it where indicated and keep the rest of the prompt the same to consistently get shorter, clearer versions.
Prompt: Plan a Week of Meals and a Shopping List
Copy and paste this:
You are a practical meal-planning assistant for a busy household.
Here is our real situation:
- Household: 2 adults (ages 48 and 51).
- Cooking skills: comfortable with simple recipes, not interested in fancy techniques.
- Time:
- Weeknights: want dinners that take 30 minutes or less to cook.
- Sunday: can spend up to 90 minutes batch-cooking.
- Preferences:
- Like: chicken, salmon, pasta, rice, vegetables, beans.
- Avoid: lamb, very spicy food.
- Health:
- Trying to eat reasonably healthy but not on a strict diet.
- Appliances available: normal oven, hob, microwave, slow cooker.
Please:
1) Create a 7-day evening meal plan (Monday - Sunday) with:
- the name of each meal,
- a one-sentence description,
- and a rough cooking time.
2) Choose 2 - 3 meals that I can batch-cook on Sunday and reheat during the week.
3) Generate a single consolidated shopping list grouped by:
- Fresh produce,
- Meat / Fish,
- Tinned / Dry goods,
- Dairy / Fridge,
- Other.
4) For each batch-cook meal, include simple storage and reheating instructions.
Make everything realistic for someone who’s tired after work.
Use case: Emma (48) and Paul (51) are tired of the “What’s for dinner?” debate at 6 pm. This prompt gives them a ready-made weekly plan plus a shopping list.
Expected result: A full 7-day dinner plan, batch-cook suggestions for Sunday, and an organized shopping list.
Pro tip: Each week, rerun this prompt but tell the AI which meals you liked or didn’t like last week so it can adjust the plan and avoid repeats too often.
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