Spring cleaning and giving feedback to a team member are not glamorous tasks, but they are exactly the kind of jobs where AI can save time and reduce mental clutter. The point is not to let a machine take over your life; it is to get a first draft fast, so you can make better decisions with less effort.

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 Saturday morning at 9:15, Linda Alvarez is standing in her kitchen with a coffee gone cold and a chair pushed halfway into the hallway. She has been meaning to “spring clean” for three weeks, which is another way of saying she has been carrying the job around in her head without starting it. She does not need inspiration. She needs a plan that tells her what to do first, what can wait, and what she is likely to forget. That is where AI can help. A good cleaning prompt can turn a vague, discouraging project into a room-by-room checklist with order and pacing, which is useful because spring cleaning works better when you declutter first and clean second.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

```text Act like a practical housecleaning assistant. I want a spring-cleaning checklist for a [house/apartment] with [number] bedrooms, [number] bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, entryway, and [any other rooms].

Make it realistic, not perfect. Organize the checklist by room and by order of work: declutter first, then dust from top to bottom, then surfaces, then floors. Include tasks I might forget, like baseboards, light switches, vents, door handles, under furniture, fridge shelves, microwave, shower corners, mirrors, and window sills.

Keep it simple enough for one person to do over [one weekend / one week / two weekends]. Break each room into small steps. Add an estimated time for each section. Also include one “quick win” task for days when I only have 15 minutes.

My biggest problem areas are: [list them]. My cleaning priorities are: [for example, guest-ready bathroom, kitchen, dust removal, donated clutter]. My energy level is: [low / medium / high]. ```

Why this prompt works: It gives AI the facts it needs, instead of asking for a generic list that could fit any house. It also tells the model how to organize the work, which matters because a useful checklist is not just a pile of tasks; it is a sequence that starts with decluttering and moves from high surfaces to low ones. The prompt adds time limits and priorities, so the result is practical rather than ambitious for its own sake.

Use Case 2 of 2

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

On Tuesday at 2:40 p.m., Marcus Bell, a department manager in his late fifties, is staring at a draft note he has rewritten four times. He needs to tell one of his team members that the monthly report is solid in some places but too casual in others, and that a few deadlines were missed. Marcus does not want to sound harsh, vague, or fake. He wants feedback that is clear enough to be useful and respectful enough to keep the working relationship intact. This is exactly the sort of writing where AI can help by shaping the message before you send it.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

```text Help me write feedback for a team member in a professional, respectful tone.

Context: - The person is competent and generally dependable. - I want to address a real problem without sounding angry, dramatic, or vague. - I need the feedback to be clear, specific, and fair.

Situation: [Describe what happened in 2-4 sentences. Include facts, not opinions.]

What I want to communicate: - What they did well: [one or two things] - What needs to change: [one or two specific issues] - What I want next: [the action or standard I want going forward]

Write: 1. A short version I could say in a meeting. 2. A slightly longer version I could send in an email. 3. A softer version if I want to preserve morale. 4. A firmer version if the issue needs more direct language.

Do not make it robotic. Do not overpraise. Do not use therapy language. Keep it direct and human. ```

Why this prompt works: It forces you to separate facts from feelings, which is the difference between useful feedback and a complaint. It also gives AI a role: not to judge the employee, but to help you express the message in more than one tone. That is valuable because good feedback has to be specific, balanced, and tied to future behavior, not just past disappointment.

What good prompts look like in both of these cases is simple: they name the job, describe the situation, set boundaries, and ask for a specific kind of output. That is why these prompts work better than asking, “Help me clean my house” or “Write feedback for my employee.” Vague prompts produce vague answers. Specific prompts produce something you can actually use.

For spring cleaning, the best prompts tell AI about the rooms, the time available, and the messes you already know about. Microsoft’s guidance on custom cleaning checklists makes the same point: the more specific your prompt, the more tailored the checklist will be, including overlooked items you might not think to name yourself. Tom’s Guide described a spring-cleaning plan that worked better when the AI started with decluttering, then moved room by room with concrete tasks like shelves, appliances, and floors. That is the pattern to copy, not the exact list.

For feedback, a good prompt should include the facts, the tone, and the desired outcome. If you want the person to change a habit, say so. If you want to protect the relationship, say that too. If you want multiple versions, ask for multiple versions. AI is very good at rearranging language, but it is not good at reading your office politics unless you tell it what matters.

The biggest risk with both prompts is overtrust. A checklist can miss something important. A feedback draft can sound polished but still miss the human moment. Use AI for structure and wording, then edit it like a sensible adult who knows the real situation better than the machine does.

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