Simple: Summarize this document

Better: Summarize this document in 5 bullet points, then give a main takeaway

Better still: This is a [type of document] written for [audience]. I need to [decide X / brief my team / respond by Friday]. Summarize each section in 1–2 sentences, include key numbers, and end with the main takeaway for my purpose. Flag anything that reads more as opinion than fact.

Simple: Write an email to [recipient] asking for [request]

Better: Write a warm, professional email to [recipient] asking for [request]. Keep it under 100 words and end with a clear next step.

Better still: I need to ask my [colleague/boss/etc.] for [request] because [context]. Write a warm, professional email asking for it by [deadline]. Keep it under 100 words and end with a clear next step. 

Simple: Edit this draft for clarity and flow

Better: Edit this draft of [description] for clarity and flow without changing my voice. Cut unnecessary words.

Better still: I'm about to send this draft of [description] to [my boss, a group of colleagues, some teenagers, etc]. Edit it for clarity and flow without changing my voice. Cut unnecessary words and list the significant changes you made and why.

Simple: Help me reply to this email

Better: Help me reply to this email. Keep it calm and professional, and address each of their concerns.

Better still: This email is from [sender, relationship], and I’m frustrated because [context]. Draft a reply that stays professional, acknowledges their valid points, and holds firm on [position]. Before drafting, tell me if there is anything in the email I might be misreading.

Simple: Rewrite this in plain language

Better: Rewrite this for a non-technical audience. Avoid jargon and keep it under [length].

Better still: This was written for [original audience]. Rewrite it for [new audience], who need to know [what they must understand or do]. Replace jargon with plain terms, and flag anything you simplified so much it’s no longer accurate.

Simple: Turn these meeting notes into a recap email. 

Better: Turn these meeting notes into a recap email for people who couldn't attend. Include the decisions made and action items.

Better still: Turn these meeting notes into a brief recap email for people who couldn't attend. Include decisions made, action items with owners and deadlines, and open questions. If an owner or deadline isn’t in the notes, mark it TBD rather than guessing.

Simple: Help me prioritize this list of tasks

Better: Help me prioritize this list of tasks, ranking them on urgency, importance, and time required.

Better still: Give me a realistic plan for finishing within [time frame], given that I have about [X hours] free and [fixed commitments].

Simple: Summarize this email thread

Better: Summarize this email thread in a few bullet points. Include what’s been decided and what’s still unresolved.

Better still: I’m being looped into this email thread as [my role]. Summarize where things stand: what’s been decided, what’s still open, and who’s waiting on whom. Tell me whether anything requires a response from me, and note any points where people disagree or seem to be talking past each other.

Simple: Make an agenda for my meeting about [topic]

Better: Make an agenda for a [length] meeting about [topic], with time allotted for each item.

Better still: I’m running a [length] meeting with [attendees] about [topic]. By the end, we need to [decision or outcome]. Draft an agenda with timed items, mark which items need a decision and which are just updates, and suggest anything that could be handled by email instead.

Simple: Break this project into steps

Better: Break this project into steps, in order, with a rough time estimate for each.

Better still: I’m responsible for [project], due [date]. I’m working with [people/resources] and I’m limited by [constraints]. Break it into phases and steps, mark the dependencies (what has to happen before what), and point out where it’s most likely to stall.

Simple: Compare these options

Better: Compare these options in a table showing cost, effort, risk, and benefits.

Better still: I’m choosing between [options] to solve [problem]. What matters most is [priorities, ranked], and I’m limited by [budget, timeline, staffing]. Compare the options against those priorities and tell me which tradeoffs are unavoidable. Don’t pick a winner yet. Show me what each choice gives up.

Simple: What could go wrong with this plan?

Better: List the biggest risks in this plan and how likely each one is.

Better still: Imagine it’s [six months] from now and this plan has failed. Write the most plausible explanation of why it failed, considering people, timing, budget, and adoption, not just technical problems. Then tell me which of those failure points I could catch early, and what warning sign to watch for.

Simple: What are the counterarguments to this?

Better: Give me the strongest counterarguments to this decision.

Better still: I’m leaning toward [decision] because [reasons]. Make the strongest case a thoughtful skeptic in [role, e.g. finance or legal] would make against it. Don’t soften it, and point out any of my reasons that rest on assumptions I haven’t tested.

Simple: Write a recommendation for [decision]

Better: Write a one-page recommendation for [decision] with background, options, and a recommended choice.

Better still: I need approval from [decision-maker], who cares most about [their priorities] and has about [two minutes] to read this. Write a recommendation that opens with the ask, briefly covers the options considered and why the others were rejected, states the main risk honestly, and ends with exactly what I need from them and by when.