The difference between a bot that feels useful and one that feels generic usually comes down to how you ask. A good prompt is specific about the source, the constraints, and what "done" looks like. Here are twenty-five prompts that follow that pattern, grouped by the kind of work they handle.
This is an unofficial fan guide. Swap in your own names, topics, and formats.
The pattern
Most of these follow the same shape: source + filter + output + limit. "From my inbox in the last week, only messages about money or deadlines, give me five bullets, most urgent first." That structure works for almost anything.
- "Summarize my unread email from the last 24 hours. Only include messages from real people or about money, deadlines, or school. Five bullets max."
- "Find the email from [name] about [topic] and pull out the key dates and what they're asking me to do."
- "Draft a short reply to the latest message from [name]. Keep it friendly and under 100 words. Don't send it."
- "What do I still need to reply to from this week? List them with the sender and one-line subject."
- "Look for any emails that look like invoices or renewal notices and list them with the amount and due date."
Research and reading
- "Research [topic] and give me a one-page summary with the main points, sources, and anything still uncertain."
- "Compare [option A] and [option B] on price, features, and drawbacks. Use a table."
- "What's the strongest argument for and against [position]? Keep each side to three bullets."
- "Find recent news on [topic] and summarize the three most important developments with links."
- "Explain [concept] to me like I'm smart but new to the subject. Use one concrete example."
Files and documents
- "Find the budget spreadsheet in my Drive and tell me the three biggest line items."
- "Read the project brief and turn it into a checklist of next steps."
- "Pull the meeting notes from OneDrive and extract the action items with owners."
- "Look through the folder called [name] and list any files that haven't been updated in six months."
- "Take this outline and turn it into a clean first draft of a memo."
Planning and decisions
- "Help me plan [event or project]. Break it into steps, estimate time for each, and flag anything I might be missing."
- "I have [list of tasks]. Rank them by urgency and effort, and suggest what to do first."
- "I'm deciding between [A] and [B]. Ask me the questions that would help me choose, then summarize my answers."
- "Turn these scattered notes into a structured plan with goals, steps, and a rough timeline."
- "What could go wrong with [plan], and what's a simple way to reduce each risk?"
Routines and recurring work
- "Every weekday at 8 AM, check my inbox and give me a five-bullet briefing of what needs attention."
- "Every Friday, recap what got done this week and what's still open."
- "Once a day, check [public page] and only tell me if something changed."
- "On the first of the month, list any bills or renewals coming up in the next 30 days."
- "Weekly, scan the [folder] and flag duplicates or files that look outdated."