This week, we are using AI for two jobs that sound ordinary but can save you real time and real stress: **spring cleaning with a checklist** and **giving feedback to a team member**. Both are about turning a vague task into something you can actually do without overthinking it, and both work better when you tell AI enough context to be useful.

Try at least one before Sunday. That is the whole assignment.

Use Case 1 of 2

Use Case 1: **Spring cleaning using a checklist AI creates**

On a Saturday morning in late March, Linda, 58, stood in her kitchen with a trash bag in one hand and a half-finished coffee in the other. She had told herself for three weeks that she would “start spring cleaning this weekend,” which is exactly the kind of sentence that sounds noble and does not help anyone. Her house is a two-story place with a basement, four bedrooms, and a dog that sheds like it is paid by the hair. She does not need a perfectly generic cleaning list. She needs a plan that fits her knees, her schedule, and the fact that she will lose momentum if the list feels too ambitious by noon. This matters because vague cleaning plans create guilt, while a realistic checklist creates motion. AI can help, but only if you tell it what kind of home you have, how much time you truly have, and what “done” should look like for you.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

I want you to act as a personal household project planner and create a realistic, room-by-room spring-cleaning checklist for my home.

Ask me 5 to 8 clarifying questions first about: - how many rooms I have, including kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas, and storage areas - whether I live in a house, condo, or apartment - how much time I realistically have per day in minutes - any physical limitations, such as bad knees or not being able to lift heavy things - whether I will have help from other people - my priorities, such as kitchen and bathrooms must be spotless, but I do not care much about the garage

After I answer, create: 1) a 7-day schedule with specific tasks for each day, grouped by room 2) a single master checklist I can print, with checkboxes and simple, concrete actions, such as “wipe baseboards in living room” rather than “deep clean living room” 3) a short “start here” list of no more than 5 tasks I can do in 30 to 45 minutes if I get overwhelmed

Make sure the tasks are: - realistic for my time and energy - in a logical order, with decluttering before deep cleaning and top-to-bottom in each room - specific enough that I do not have to think about what each one means

At the end, ask: “Would you like me to break any day into smaller 15-minute chunks?” and, if I say yes, create that as well.

Why this prompt works: It forces the AI to ask questions before it guesses, which matters because cleaning plans fail when they ignore your actual home and limits. It also asks for three useful formats at once: a weekly schedule, a printable checklist, and an emergency “start here” version. The best prompts do not just ask for more detail; they demand a usable result in the shape you need.

Use Case 2 of 2

Use Case 2: **Giving feedback to a team member**

On a Wednesday afternoon at 3:10 p.m., Marcus, 63, sat down to prepare for a one-on-one with an employee named Jenna. Jenna is smart, dependable, and well-liked, but over the past month her updates have been late and too vague for the rest of the team to use. Marcus does not want to ambush her. He does not want to sound cold. He also does not want to deliver the kind of feedback that is so soft it never changes anything. This matters because bad feedback is not just uncomfortable; it wastes time, creates confusion, and quietly lowers standards across a team. AI can help you phrase the message clearly, but only if you give it concrete examples, the outcome you want, and the tone you actually use.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

I want you to act as a communication coach to help me give clear, kind feedback to a team member about their work.

First, ask me these questions and wait for my answers before drafting anything: - What is the team member’s role, and how long have they been in it? - What specifically is not working in their recent work, with 1 to 2 concrete examples? - What is working well that I genuinely appreciate? - What outcome do I want from this feedback in the next 4 to 6 weeks? - Do I plan to give this feedback by email, in a meeting, or both? - What is my natural tone, such as straightforward, diplomatic, warm, or something else?

After I answer, do the following: 1) Draft a brief feedback message I can use as a script or email.

Use this structure: - one sentence acknowledging something they are doing well - 2 to 3 sentences describing the specific issues, in plain language, with examples - 1 to 2 sentences explaining the impact on clients or the team - 2 to 3 sentences being clear about what “better” looks like in the next 4 to 6 weeks - one sentence expressing confidence in their ability to improve

2) Suggest 3 to 4 open-ended questions I can ask them in conversation to invite their perspective, such as “How does this land for you?” or “What would help you make this change?”

3) Offer 2 to 3 alternative phrasings for the tougher sentences so I can choose the one that sounds most like me.

Keep the tone: - respectful but honest - specific, not vague - focused on behaviors and outcomes, not personality

At the end, ask: “Would you like this to sound more direct, more gentle, or stay as is?” and be prepared to revise the wording based on my answer.

Why this prompt works: It separates preparation from drafting, which is important because feedback gets muddy when the AI starts writing before it understands the real issue. It also pushes the model to focus on behavior, examples, and outcomes instead of personality, which is how useful feedback is actually delivered. The extra question at the end is smart because tone is not decoration; it changes whether the other person hears clarity or criticism.

Know someone who spends too long on things AI could do in two minutes? Forward this to three people who subscribe and I will send you my free AI Prompt Starter Pack: 20 ready-to-use prompts for everyday life.

By Dr. Rowan Hayes