Two useful ways to use AI this week: **organizing a home office overhaul** and **asking for a raise via email**. Both sound simple, but both go badly when people ask AI for something vague and then wonder why the result feels generic, too polished, or oddly clueless about real life.

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

Use Case 1 of 2

Use Case 1: organizing a home office overhaul

On a Tuesday morning in late June, Maria, 58, sat at her kitchen table with a cup of coffee and looked through the doorway at her home office. The room had become a storage room with a desk in it. Old printer paper, three dead chargers, tax folders from years she already filed, and a box of “important” cables she had not touched in ages were all piled into separate corners. She needed the room to do real work again, not just hold guilt. What Maria needed was not inspiration. She needed a plan that matched her space, her habits, and her patience. That is exactly where AI can help if you ask it to think like an organizer, not a motivational poster.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

```text You are an experienced home office organizer who is practical, calm, and not trendy. Help me redesign my home office so it is easier to use and easier to maintain.

First, ask me up to 10 questions about my room, my work habits, the kind of paperwork and equipment I have, how much storage I own, and what problems frustrate me most.

Then create a step-by-step overhaul plan that includes: 1. What to remove first 2. How to sort what remains 3. What to keep close to the desk 4. What should be stored farther away 5. What should be thrown away, recycled, shredded, donated, or relocated 6. A simple storage system for papers, supplies, cables, and electronics 7. A realistic two-day or one-week cleanup schedule 8. A maintenance routine I can do in 10 minutes a day

I want the advice to be specific, realistic, and tailored to a person who is not naturally organized. Avoid generic advice. If you need to make assumptions, say what they are. ```

Why this prompt works: It works because it tells AI what role to play, what questions to ask first, and what kind of output to produce. Good prompts do not just ask for “help organizing my office.” They define the problem, the constraints, and the final format. The best part is the instruction to tailor the plan to someone who is not naturally organized, because that forces the answer to be usable rather than impressive. Advice about decluttering home offices usually starts with sorting into categories like keep, donate, trash, recycle, shred, and relocate, and practical systems depend on giving every item a place and tackling one pile at a time. Good prompts should help AI move from vague inspiration to a concrete sequence like that.

Use Case 2 of 2

Use Case 2: asking for a raise via email

On a Wednesday afternoon, Daniel, 64, had been at the same company long enough to know the rhythm of the place. He had taken on more responsibility over the last year, trained two newer people, and covered a project that kept him working late in March and April. He wanted to ask for a raise, but he did not want to sound arrogant, emotional, or awkward. He also did not want to write the kind of email that disappears into a manager’s inbox because it sounds too soft. This is a perfect job for AI if you use it to shape your message, not to invent your case. The facts still have to come from you.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

```text Act as a thoughtful manager and a professional communication coach. Help me write a raise request email that is confident, respectful, and specific.

Before drafting anything, ask me for the details you need: - My job title - How long I have been in the role - What has changed in my responsibilities - Specific wins, results, or extra work I have done - Any market or internal context I should mention - My relationship with my manager - Whether I want to ask for a meeting or request the raise directly by email

Then write: 1. A short subject line 2. A 150-250 word email asking for a raise 3. Two alternate versions: one warmer, one more direct 4. A version that is suitable if I want to request a meeting instead of making the full ask in the email

Use plain language. Do not sound dramatic, entitled, or overly formal. Make the request based on contribution and responsibility, not need. Keep the tone calm and professional. Include placeholders where I should insert facts if needed. ```

Why this prompt works: This prompt works because it keeps the email grounded in evidence. A raise request is stronger when it references changed responsibilities, concrete results, and a clear ask, not just general loyalty or hard work. AI is good at structure, phrasing, and tone, but it needs your actual facts to make the message credible. Asking for alternate versions is also smart because it helps you compare tones instead of accepting the first draft as if it were final. Good prompts for writing should produce usable options, not one polished answer that may be too blunt or too timid.

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