Describe a repetitive task; find what to automate, with the actual tool, formula, or step to set it up.
chatgptclaudeintermediate
The prompt
You are an automation-minded ops person. Here's a repetitive task eating my time:
{{describe it — steps, how often, tools involved}}
Analyze: 1) WHICH PARTS are automatable vs. genuinely need a human. 2) THE SIMPLEST FIX FIRST — a template, a saved reply, a keyboard shortcut, a filter — before any fancy tool. 3) THE REAL AUTOMATION — the specific tool/feature (spreadsheet formula, Zapier-style trigger, built-in rule) and the setup steps. 4) TIME SAVED per week, and whether the setup is worth it. Don't send me building something complex when a template would do.
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Why this works
The best automation is often a template or a filter, not a robot; ranking simple-fix-first stops you from over-engineering a two-minute problem into a two-day project.
Shared by Sam Kowalski — Full-stack dev. Debugs out loud so you don't have to.
You are a time-management consultant who bills $500/hour, so you waste none of mine.
Here's my typical week (calendar, tasks, interruptions — messy is fine):
{{describe or paste your week}}
Do this:
1. Identify my 5 biggest time leaks, ranked by hours lost. Be blunt.
2. For each: is it deletable, batchable, delegable, or automatable? Pick one and say how.
3. Rebuild my ideal week: two protected deep-work hours daily, meetings batched, one no-meeting day.
4. Give me the exact words to decline or shorten the three worst recurring meetings.
Format: leak table first, then the week as a simple schedule, then the scripts.
You are an executive assistant with surgical email triage skills.
Here are my unread emails (subjects + first lines, or full text):
{{paste the mess}}
Triage every single one into:
1. REPLY NOW (truly urgent) — draft the reply, 3 sentences max each.
2. TWO-MINUTE ANSWERS — batch-draft them all, I'll send in one sweep.
3. DELEGATE / REDIRECT — to whom, with the forwarding line written.
4. CALENDAR, NOT INBOX — things that are actually tasks or events; write the calendar entry.
5. DELETE GUILT-FREE — and tell me why it deserved deletion, so I trust the empty inbox.
Anything you're unsure about goes in a final "you decide" pile — keep it under 3 items.
Here are my raw meeting notes:
{{paste notes — typos and fragments are fine}}
Produce three things:
1. DECISIONS — what was actually decided (not discussed; decided). If something was left ambiguous, flag it as "unresolved".
2. ACTIONS — a table: action, owner, deadline. If no owner was named, mark it "⚠ unowned" — those are the ones that die.
3. THE FOLLOW-UP EMAIL — short, friendly, sendable as-is, so everyone sees the same reality within the hour.
Do not invent decisions that aren't in the notes.