This week we’re tackling two very human problems that AI can quietly make easier: **spring cleaning** (even if it’s mid-year and you just can’t face the closets) and **giving thoughtful feedback to a team member** without spending your whole evening wordsmithing an email. Both matter because they drain energy you could use on things you actually care about.

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 Thursday evening in July, Maria, 56, is standing in her hallway staring at a jumble of shoes, winter coats, and a box labeled “misc 2017.” She works full-time, her dad’s health is declining, and every room in the house feels like “too much.” She’s tried watching decluttering videos, but they all assume you have a weekend and an empty garage. She has neither.

What Maria really wants is simple: a **clear, realistic checklist** she can follow in short bursts - 30 minutes before dinner, 20 minutes on Saturday morning - without having to decide every step herself. Decisions are the exhausting part. She doesn’t need theory. She needs: “Do this first. Then this. You can stop here for today.” That’s where AI can help: not by magically cleaning her house, but by turning a vague goal (“get the house under control”) into a concrete, bite‑sized plan tailored to her space and her schedule.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

> I want your help creating a realistic spring-cleaning checklist for my home that I can do in short sessions. > > Ask me 10 - 15 focused questions first about my home (number of rooms, trouble spots, storage space, how much time I have per day, physical limitations, etc.) so you understand my situation. > > After you have my answers, create: > 1) A prioritized checklist for a 4-week cleaning plan, assuming I can only work 30 - 45 minutes per day, 5 days per week. > 2) Tasks grouped by area (entryway, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, paper clutter, sentimental items, garage/basement/attic if relevant). > 3) For each task, include a plain-English description, a suggested time estimate, and the minimum tools/supplies I need. > 4) Mark tasks as “must-do” versus “nice-to-do” so I can skip things if I get busy. > 5) At the end, give me a one-page summary: “If you only have 90 minutes this week, do these 5 tasks.” > > Write everything in simple, everyday language. Assume I’m not naturally organized and I get overwhelmed easily. Keep the steps small and specific, more like “sort shoes into keep/donate/trash” than “organize the hallway.”

Why this prompt works: You’re not asking for “a cleaning checklist” in general; you’re telling the AI to **ask questions first** so the plan fits your actual home and time. You’ve set clear constraints (4 weeks, 30 - 45 minutes per day) and requested **priorities, time estimates, and a summary**, which forces the AI to think in terms of what’s realistic, not perfect. The language guidance (“simple, everyday,” “not naturally organized”) nudges it away from Pinterest‑style fantasy and toward something you’ll actually follow.

Use Case 2 of 2

Use Case 2: Giving feedback to a team member

On a Tuesday afternoon, around 4:30 p.m., Daryl, 49, is staring at a half‑written email to a colleague named Jenna. He manages a small team in a community nonprofit. Jenna is smart and dedicated, but her recent reports have been sloppy - missing data, late edits, last-minute updates. Daryl doesn’t want to crush her, especially since she’s juggling childcare and a long commute. But he also can’t keep spending extra hours fixing things before board meetings.

The dilemma: he needs to say, “This isn’t OK,” and “Here’s how to improve,” **without** sounding harsh, vague, or like he’s dumping all his stress on her. He’s rewritten the opening line six times. He’s tempted to just say, “No worries, I fixed it,” and suffer silently. This is exactly the kind of situation where AI can help you **shape** the feedback: clear, fair, specific, and kind - but in your voice, not as a robotic HR memo.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

> I need help drafting feedback for a team member. I want the tone to be respectful, specific, and focused on improvement - not harsh, not vague, and not full of buzzwords. > > First, ask me 8 - 10 clarifying questions about: > - My role and their role > - What specifically is going wrong (with concrete examples) > - What they’re doing well that I want to acknowledge > - Any constraints they’re under (experience level, workload, personal situation) > - What outcome I want from this feedback (behavior change, clearer communication, improved quality, etc.) > - Whether this is for an email, a conversation, or a performance review note > > After I answer, write: > 1) A brief, plain-English summary I can say or send in 2 - 3 minutes that covers: > - One or two positive observations > - The specific issue (with examples) > - The impact on the team or work > - Clear expectations for what needs to change > - An offer of support or resources > 2) Give me two versions: one as a spoken script for a 1:1 conversation, and one as a short email. > 3) Keep the language natural, as if a manager in their 40s or 50s is talking, not corporate jargon. Avoid words like “synergy,” “leveraging,” or “optimizing.” > 4) At the end, list 3 - 4 questions I can ask them to invite their perspective and avoid the feedback feeling one-sided. > > Before you show me the final drafts, briefly explain (in 4 - 5 bullet points) how you structured the feedback and why, so I can learn how to do this myself next time.

Why this prompt works: You’re instructing the AI to **collect context first**, rather than jumping straight into writing. That keeps the feedback grounded in specific behaviors and real constraints, not generic “areas for improvement.” By demanding two formats (spoken and email) and banning jargon explicitly, you steer it closer to how you actually talk. Asking it to explain its structure turns this from “do it for me” into **“teach me how to do it”**, which builds your skill over time.