# Work and Planning Prompt Pack **Prepared by Dan Rivers | Scrhoz** *15 simple prompts for planning your week, clearing a backlog, running better meetings and writing clear updates, so the work that matters gets done.* ## How to Use This Pack - Copy a prompt, paste it into any AI assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or similar), and replace each [BRACKETED] part with your own details. - Keep the inputs small: a list of up to about 30 tasks, a page of notes, a short summary of your week. Short inputs get better answers. - Leave out client names, personal details and anything confidential. The AI only needs the tasks and the timings. Check your employer's rules on AI tools before you paste anything from work. - Treat every plan as a first draft. You know your week better than the AI does, so change whatever doesn't fit. > **Note:** These prompts are for general planning and organisation. AI can misread a list or get arithmetic wrong, so check dates, times and totals before you rely on them. Your own judgement and your employer's rules come first. ## Plan Your Week ### 1. Plan My Week ``` Help me plan my week. My fixed commitments (meetings, deadlines, school runs): [LIST WITH DAYS AND TIMES]. What I'd like to get done: [LIST]. My best hours for focused work are [TIMES]. Suggest a realistic plan by day, leave some spare room each day, and tell me what doesn't fit. ``` *Tip: Include the dull commitments too. They take real time.* ### 2. Pick My Top Three ``` Here's my list for today: [LIST]. Pick the three that matter most and say why in a sentence each. Suggest an order based on how long each one takes and how much attention it needs. Tell me which of the rest can wait until tomorrow without a problem. ``` *Tip: Do the first one before you open your inbox.* ### 3. Review My Week ``` Here's a short summary of my week. What shipped: [LIST]. What stalled: [LIST]. What took longer than I expected: [LIST]. Ask me up to four questions, one at a time, about what got in the way. Then give me a short summary and two changes to try next week. ``` *Tip: Ten minutes on a Friday afternoon is enough. Do it at the same time each week.* ### 4. Protect My Focus Time ``` Here's what my typical week looks like: [DESCRIBE MEETINGS, INTERRUPTIONS AND WHEN I DO MY BEST WORK]. Suggest two or three blocks of focused time I could protect, what I could move or decline to make room, and one sentence I could use to tell colleagues about it. ``` *Tip: Start with one block a week. A small change you keep is worth more than a big one you drop.* ## Clear the Backlog ### 5. Triage My To-Do List ``` Here is my to-do list: [PASTE UP TO 30 ITEMS]. Sort each item into one of four groups: do this week, schedule for later, hand to someone else, or drop. Give a one-line reason for each. Flag anything vague that needs turning into a clear next step. ``` *Tip: Be honest about the drop pile. Most lists have one.* ### 6. Break a Big Task Into Steps ``` I need to [BIG TASK] by [DATE]. Break it into steps that each take under [90 MINUTES]. Put them in order, show roughly how long each one will take, and point out the step I'm most likely to put off. Ask me questions first if anything is unclear. ``` *Tip: Make the first step small enough to start today.* ### 7. Make Sense of a Brain Dump ``` Here is a brain dump of everything on my mind: [PASTE A PAGE OR TWO OF NOTES]. Organise it into groups, pull out the actions, list what I'm waiting on from other people, and set aside anything that's an idea for later. Keep my wording where you can. ``` *Tip: Write the dump fast and leave the sorting to the AI.* ### 8. Check My Plan Is Realistic ``` Here is my plan for [THE WEEK / THE PROJECT]: [PASTE]. Add up the time each item needs, compare it with the hours I actually have ([HOURS AVAILABLE]), and show your working. Tell me where I'm over-committed and what I could cut or shrink. ``` *Tip: Most plans quietly assume every hour is free. Count the hours you really have.* ## Meetings and Updates ### 9. Prepare for a Meeting ``` I have a meeting about [TOPIC] with [ROLES OR PEOPLE]. What I want from it: [OUTCOME]. Help me prepare: what I should read or know beforehand, the three questions I should ask, any objections I might face, and the decision or next step I should aim to leave with. ``` *Tip: Write the outcome you want first. Everything else follows from it.* ### 10. Write a Meeting Agenda ``` Write an agenda for a [LENGTH]-minute meeting about [TOPIC] with [ATTENDEES]. The goal is [OUTCOME]. Give each item a time and an owner, put the decision items first, and add one line on what people should read or bring beforehand. ``` *Tip: If you can't say what the meeting is for in one sentence, you may not need it.* ### 11. Turn Meeting Notes Into Actions ``` Here are my notes from a meeting: [PASTE]. List the decisions made, then list the actions as a table with what, who and by when. Mark any action with no owner or no date, and list the questions that were left open. Don't add anything that isn't in the notes. ``` *Tip: Send the actions out the same day, while people still remember the meeting.* ### 12. Write a Clear Status Update ``` Write a status update for [AUDIENCE, E.G. MY MANAGER / A CLIENT] about [PROJECT]. Progress since last time: [NOTES]. Problems: [NOTES]. What I need from them: [NOTES]. Keep it under [150] words, lead with where things stand, and put anything I need from them at the end. ``` *Tip: Say plainly if you're behind. Early news is easier to deal with.* ## Stay on Track ### 13. Say No, or Offer Something Smaller ``` A colleague has asked me to [REQUEST]. My workload this week: [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]. Write three short replies I could send: a polite no, a yes with a later date, and a smaller version of what they asked for. Keep each one friendly and under [60] words, with no long apology. ``` *Tip: A clear answer is kinder than a vague yes.* ### 14. Reset a Week That Went Sideways ``` My week hasn't gone to plan. What I'd planned: [LIST]. What actually happened: [LIST]. It's [DAY] now and I have about [HOURS] left this week. Help me work out what still matters, what can slide to next week, and who I should tell. ``` *Tip: Starting again on a Wednesday counts. Nobody has to wait for Monday.* ### 15. Hand Over Before I'm Away ``` I'll be away from [DATE] to [DATE]. My current work: [LIST]. Write a handover note for [COLLEAGUE] covering what's in progress, what's due while I'm gone, where to find things, who to ask, and what can wait until I'm back. Ask me for anything that's missing first. ``` *Tip: Read it as if you knew nothing about the work, and fill any gaps you notice.* --- Where to go next, and more from Dan Rivers: - [Find the 3 That Matter Prompt Pack (15 prompts)](https://scrhoz.com/prompts/find-the-3-that-matter-prompt-pack) - [Balanced Ambition](https://scrhoz.com/books/balanced-ambition) - [The One-Year Financial Reset](https://scrhoz.com/books/the-one-year-financial-reset) - [CYOS 1: Managing Money (Choose Your Own System)](https://scrhoz.com/books/cyos/managing-money) [More from Dan Rivers](https://scrhoz.com/authors/dan-rivers) Free from [Scrhoz](https://scrhoz.com). Want more simple, useful tools like this? [Join the newsletter](https://scrhoz.com/newsletter).