This is a working set of twenty prompts, grouped by the part of life they belong to: work, home, money, learning. Each one has a job — a specific situation where it beats typing something vague — plus the text to copy and a note on what you fill in. They're not a framework to study. Take the four or five that match your week, paste them into a note on your phone, and stop rewriting the same request from scratch every time. If you want the reasoning behind why these are shaped the way they are, that's in writing better prompts.
Want the same path as a short course? Open AI Earn on Google Play — that listing is the official app page.
One rule before you start: the brackets are the template. A prompt with the placeholders left generic gives generic output. "[topic]" is not a topic; "the pension letter my employer sent about switching providers" is.
| Placeholder | Too thin | Enough to work with |
|---|---|---|
| [audience] | my boss | my boss, who wants the decision first and hates long emails |
| [topic] | marketing | why our repeat orders dropped after we changed the checkout |
| [constraint] | keep it short | under 120 words, no bullet points, plain English |
| [situation] | I need money advice | I have a fixed-rate loan ending in November and no early-repayment fee |
| [format] | a list | a table with three columns: option, cost, what I give up |
| [level] | simple | explain it to someone who understands percentages but not statistics |
Work
1. Turn scattered notes into something a person can read
When: after a meeting or a call, when you have fragments and someone is waiting for a summary.
Prompt: "Here are my raw notes from [meeting/call]: [paste]. Turn them into a short summary for [audience] with three sections: what was decided, what's still open, who does what next. Keep every name and date exactly as written. If something is unclear in my notes, list it at the end as a question instead of guessing."
Fill in: the audience, and the notes verbatim — including the messy bits. The last sentence is what stops it from inventing decisions nobody made.
2. Answer the email you've been avoiding
When: the reply is awkward, and avoidance has already cost you two days.
Prompt: "Here's an email I need to answer: [paste]. My position is [what you actually want to say, bluntly]. Write a reply that is polite but doesn't over-apologize. Under [X] words. Give me two versions: one warmer, one firmer."
Fill in: the blunt version of your position. If you write your input diplomatically, you'll get a reply so hedged it says nothing.
3. Say no and keep the relationship
When: declining work, a favour, or an invitation you'd resent accepting.
Prompt: "I need to decline [request] from [person and your relationship to them]. My real reason is [reason]; the reason I'm comfortable sharing is [what you'll say]. Write a short message that declines clearly, doesn't leave the door half-open, and offers [alternative, or 'nothing']."
Fill in: the alternative — or explicitly "nothing". Left blank, most assistants invent a helpful-sounding offer you didn't intend to make.
4. Rehearse a conversation you're nervous about
When: before asking for a raise, pushing back on a deadline, or ending something.
Prompt: "Role-play as [the other person], who is [their position, mood, incentives]. I'm going to [what you want]. Stay in character, push back the way they realistically would, and don't make it easy. One reply at a time. After five exchanges, break character and tell me which of my arguments were weakest."
Fill in: their incentives, not just their job title. That's what makes the pushback realistic instead of a friendly simulation.
5. Get unstuck on a task that's too big
When: a task has been on your list for weeks and you can't tell why you keep skipping it.
Prompt: "This task has been on my list for [time] and I keep avoiding it: [task]. Ask me five questions to work out what's actually blocking it — unclear scope, missing information, a decision I haven't made, or something else. One question at a time. Then give me a first step that takes under fifteen minutes."
Fill in: how long you've avoided it. Answer the questions honestly; the value is in the diagnosis, not the plan.
Home and life
6. Dinner from what's actually in the kitchen
When: 6pm, no shopping trip, and a fridge that doesn't match any recipe.
Prompt: "I have: [list everything, including the half-used things]. I also have standard basics: [oil, salt, flour, whatever you keep]. Give me three meals I can make in under [minutes], using only what's listed. No shopping. For each one, tell me the order to do things in, and say which one I should make if I'm tired."
Fill in: the awkward leftovers. Listing them is the whole point — a clean list of five ingredients gets you a recipe you could have found yourself.
7. A packing list that matches the real trip
When: travelling somewhere with weather or rules you don't know well.
Prompt: "I'm going to [place] for [days], from [date] to [date], for [reason: work, family, hiking]. Here's the forecast I just looked up: [paste it]. I'm taking [cabin bag only / a suitcase]. Give me a packing list grouped by category, and flag anything I'd have to buy in advance rather than there."
Fill in: the forecast, from a weather site, yourself. Don't ask an assistant what the weather will be — check how to fact-check AI for why anything live needs an outside source.
8. Decode an official letter
When: a bank, landlord, insurer, or government office sends you something written to be unreadable.
Prompt: "Here's a letter I received: [paste]. Tell me in plain language: what it says, what it wants me to do, by when, and what happens if I do nothing. Then list any part that's ambiguous and what I should ask them to clarify. Don't tell me what to decide."
Fill in: remove account numbers and personal identifiers before pasting — see using AI safely.
9. Write the message you've been putting off
When: condolences, an apology, congratulating someone you've neglected for a year.
Prompt: "I need to write to [person, relationship, how long since we spoke] about [situation]. Facts I want to include: [list]. Tone: [warm and short / formal / plain]. No clichés, no 'thoughts and prayers', nothing that sounds like a greeting card. Give me a version of about [X] words that I can edit."
Fill in: the specific facts. Then rewrite at least a third of it in your own words — this is one message that should never sound drafted.
10. Turn a dreaded chore into a timed plan
When: the cupboard, the paperwork drawer, the photos on your phone.
Prompt: "I want to sort out [thing] and I have [minutes/hours]. It's currently [describe the mess honestly]. Give me a plan in timed blocks with a decision rule for each pile, so I don't stand there thinking. Tell me what to do with things I can't decide about."
Fill in: the honest state of the mess and the time you actually have, not the time you wish you had.
Money and decisions
11. Compare two options using your real numbers
When: renting vs buying, two job offers, two subscriptions, repair vs replace.
Prompt: "Compare [option A] and [option B] for someone in this situation: [your numbers and constraints]. Build a table: cost over [time period], what I give up, what could go wrong, and how reversible each is. At the end, list what information I'm missing that would change the answer."
Fill in: your figures. The "what am I missing" line is the useful part — it usually names something you'd forgotten to price in.
12. Write the questions before you sign
When: a contract, a quote from a tradesperson, a course, a loan.
Prompt: "I'm about to [commit to what], offered by [who], for [price/terms]. Give me the fifteen questions I should ask before agreeing, ordered by how much money they could save me. Include the questions people typically forget. Don't reassure me and don't tell me it's a good deal."
Fill in: the terms as offered. Take the list to the other party — the questions are for them, not for the chat.
13. Translate a clause into consequences
When: one paragraph in a contract is doing something and you can't tell what.
Prompt: "Explain this clause in plain language: [paste clause]. Tell me what it means for me in practice, what the worst realistic outcome is, and what a normal version of this clause usually looks like. Note anything that seems unusual. This is general information, not legal advice — flag where I'd need a professional."
Fill in: the exact wording. And if real money or your home depends on it, an explanation from a chatbot is a starting point for a conversation with a professional, not a substitute for one.
14. A budget skeleton you'll actually keep
When: you've never written one down, or the last one collapsed in week two.
Prompt: "My monthly income after tax is [X]. Fixed costs: [list with amounts]. Variable spending I can estimate: [list]. Build me a simple monthly budget as a table, leave a line for irregular costs, and tell me the two numbers I should check each week to know if I'm off track. Keep it to one screen."
Fill in: real amounts, including the embarrassing ones. Check the arithmetic yourself — assistants slip on sums, and it's your money.
15. Pressure-test an offer that sounds good
When: a course, an "AI income system", an investment someone in a group chat is excited about.
Prompt: "Here's an offer: [paste the pitch or describe it]. Ignore the marketing. Tell me: what is actually being sold, how the seller makes money, what claims are unverifiable, and what a person would need to be true for this to work. Then list the specific questions that would expose it if it's a scam."
Fill in: the pitch in the seller's own words. Then read how to spot AI scams — the patterns repeat, and once you know them you'll need the prompt less.
Learning
16. Explain it at three levels
When: a concept everyone assumes you already understand.
Prompt: "Explain [concept] three times: once for someone who's never heard of it, once for someone who knows [related thing you do understand], and once as it would appear in a textbook. After the three, tell me which everyday situations this concept actually shows up in."
Fill in: the thing you already understand. Anchoring a new idea to existing knowledge is what makes it stick.
17. Be quizzed, not lectured
When: preparing for an exam, a certification, or a job interview topic.
Prompt: "Quiz me on [topic] at [level]. One question at a time, wait for my answer, then tell me if I'm right and why before the next one. Mix recall questions with 'apply it to this situation' questions. After ten, tell me which two areas I should study and what to read."
Fill in: the level. Students will find more of this in the best AI tools for students.
18. Find the hole in your own understanding
When: you think you understand something but can't explain it out loud.
Prompt: "I'm going to explain [topic] in my own words. Don't be encouraging. Point out what I got wrong, what I stated too confidently, and what I left out that matters. Here's my explanation: [write it yourself first]."
Fill in: your own explanation, written before you look anything up. Writing it badly is the diagnostic.
19. A study plan built around a real deadline
When: a fixed date and not enough time.
Prompt: "I have [exam/deadline] on [date]. I can study [hours] per week, realistically. Here's the syllabus or topic list: [paste]. Here's what I'm already comfortable with: [list]. Build a week-by-week plan that front-loads my weak areas, and include what to cut if I fall behind."
Fill in: the honest hours and the "what to cut" request. Every plan slips; deciding the cuts in advance beats panicking later.
20. Get through a document that's above your level
When: a research paper, a technical spec, a report you have to discuss tomorrow.
Prompt: "Here's a document I need to understand: [paste or describe]. First, give me the argument in five sentences. Second, define every term I'd need to follow it, assuming I know [your background]. Third, list the three questions someone would ask about this in a meeting, with short answers."
Fill in: your background honestly. If a definition still doesn't land, the AI glossary covers the vocabulary that comes up most often around AI itself.
What not to do
- Don't paste a template unedited. A prompt with "[topic]" still in it produces exactly the bland answer people complain about. The template is scaffolding; your details are the content.
- Don't stack five templates into one message. One request per message, then follow up. Combined requests get a shallow pass at each part.
- Don't put identifiers into templates that don't need them. Account numbers, full addresses, client names, medical details, anything under an NDA. Strip them first; the prompt works fine without.
- Don't collect prompts you never use. Five templates you run weekly beat a folder of two hundred. Delete the ones you skipped for a month.
- Don't trust anything factual that comes back. These templates shape output; they don't make it accurate. Dates, prices, laws and numbers still need checking.
- Don't keep the AI's voice when it's a personal message. Condolences, apologies and thank-yous should sound like you, even if the structure came from a draft.
Making them stick
Most assistants let you save reusable instructions — saved prompts, custom instructions, or a pinned note in the app; the feature names and limits differ per tool and change, so check the vendor's own help, such as help.openai.com or Google's Gemini help. The low-tech version works just as well: one note on your phone with your five templates, edited each time you notice a phrasing that gets better results.
After a few weeks you'll stop copying and start typing them from memory, badly and faster, which is the point. For more situations where this pays off day to day, see AI for everyday tasks; if your results are still disappointing, the cause is usually on the list in common AI mistakes beginners make.
