Collecting hundreds of prompts is a hobby. Keeping six that you use every week is a skill. These cover the tasks almost every professional repeats, and they all follow the same shape: a role, the real material, one task, a format, and a rule against invention.
Meeting notes into decisions and owners
Here are my raw notes from a project meeting. Turn them into: a two-sentence summary, decisions made, open items with an owner and a date, and a "Needs confirmation" list for anything ambiguous. Use only what is in the notes.
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Notes: [paste]
The message you are dreading
You are helping me write a direct but professional message to [who] about [situation]. Keep it under 150 words, lead with the point, offer one concrete next step, and do not apologise more than once. Give me two versions: one plainer, one warmer.
Reading a long document fast
Read the document below. Tell me: what it commits us to, what it leaves vague, what a careful reader would push back on, and the three lines I should read myself. Quote exactly. Say "not stated" rather than guessing.
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Document: [paste]
Pressure-testing your own plan
Here is my plan: [paste]. Act as a skeptical colleague who has seen this fail before. Give me the five most likely reasons it does not work, ranked by probability, and the cheapest test for each.
Deciding between two options
I am choosing between [A] and [B] for [goal]. Ask me up to five questions that would most change your recommendation. Wait for my answers, then give a recommendation, the main risk of it, and what would have to be true for the other option to win.
Turning one piece of work into several
Here is a finished piece of work: [paste]. Produce: a three-sentence internal summary, five bullet points for a slide, and a short post for a professional audience. Keep the facts identical and flag anything you had to simplify.
Why these work
Every one names the output format, contains the real source material, and forbids invention. That is the whole trick — the wording is the easy part.
Try this today
Save the two that match your week into a note, and use them instead of typing a fresh request each time.