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Everyday Productivity

Beginner

Five things almost anyone can use today. Each comes with a starter prompt — paste it, swap the brackets, refine in plain language.

What you'll learn
  • Draft a reply, a summary, or a plan from a single copy-paste prompt
  • Recognize the three parts every one of these prompts names: goal, format, constraints
  • Use follow-ups to steer an output instead of rewriting the prompt from scratch
  • Get writing that sounds like you, by giving a sample of your own
  • Know which outputs you must verify before acting on them

1. Tame your inbox​

Draft a reply to an email you received

Here's an email I received. Draft a polite, concise reply that [accepts the
meeting but proposes Thursday instead]. Keep it under 80 words.

Email: [paste]

Follow-ups that help: "more formal," "add a line thanking them," "give me two versions."

2. Summarise long things​

Summarise anything, with decisions pulled out separately

Summarise this in 5 bullet points a busy manager could read in 30 seconds,
then list any decisions or action items separately.

Text: [paste]

Works on articles, meeting notes, threads, and reports. For very long inputs, ask for the summary first, then drill in.

3. Plan and break down work​

Turn a vague goal into a plan with risks flagged

I need to [organise a 30-person team offsite] by [October]. Give me a
step-by-step plan with rough timing, and flag the 3 things most likely
to go wrong.

Great for project plans, checklists, and turning a vague goal into next actions.

4. Think it through with you​

Pressure-test a decision instead of just making it

I'm deciding between [option A] and [option B] for [situation]. Lay out the
trade-offs in a table, then tell me what else I should consider before
deciding.

Use it as a sparring partner — ask it to argue the opposite case to pressure-test your thinking.

5. Draft, then make it yours​

Get a draft in your own voice

Write a first draft of [a LinkedIn post announcing our new feature].
Match this voice: [paste a paragraph you wrote]. Then suggest a punchier
opening line.

Giving a sample of your writing is the secret to outputs that don't sound generic.

The two habits that matter​

Guided walkthrough1 of 2
  1. Every prompt above names the goal, the format, and the constraints — that is the whole recipe. And none of them have to be right first try: say what is off in plain language ("shorter," "less formal," "two versions") instead of rewriting the prompt.

Those two habits each have a page behind them: Prompting Basics for naming goal, format, and constraints, and Hallucinations for knowing which outputs can be confidently wrong.

Check yourself

0/3
  1. You paste a 40-page report and want to understand it. What does this page suggest you ask for first?
  2. The draft comes back sounding generic and nothing like you. What is the fix this page names?
  3. Which of these outputs most needs verifying before you act on it?
Key takeaways
  • Goal + format + constraints is the whole recipe. All five prompts here are that pattern.
  • Refine in plain language instead of rewriting — "shorter," "more formal," "two versions" all work.
  • Summarise first, then drill in, whenever the input is long.
  • A sample of your own writing beats any description of your tone.
  • Grounded outputs are cheap to check; recalled facts are the ones that bite.

Next​