{"id":"dat-free-hours-log-invoice","audience":"freelancers","category":"data","technique":"grounding","title":"Turn a messy hours log into invoice lines with a scope cap","free":false,"task":"You're invoicing a client for October design work at $60/hour. Write exactly 3 numbered lines, one per project, each showing the hours added up x $60 = amount, then one unnumbered last line: Total due: $X. Leave out work from other months and apply the contract's hour cap. Plain text, under 70 words, nothing else.","materialLabel":"Your hours log and contract note (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"HOURS LOG - Bluepine Coffee (rate $60/hr)\n\nSep 29 | logo kickoff call | 2h  (on September invoice, already paid)\nOct 2 | logo revisions | 3.5h\nOct 6 | menu layout | 4h\nOct 9 | menu layout | 2.5h\nOct 15 | social templates | 6h\nOct 22 | social templates | 3h\nOct 25 | coffee with Jen (their manager) to talk about spring | 1h, not billable\nNov 1 | menu layout tweaks | 1h  (goes on November)\n\nFrom the contract:\n- Social media templates are a fixed scope: billed at no more than 8 hours total.\n- Payment due 15 days from invoice.\n\nNotes to self:\n- They loved the menu. Ask for a testimonial.\n- Raise rate to $65 in January?","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":3},{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":70}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Billing every line","why":"The AI adds the September call, the coffee chat and November tweaks.","fix":"Add: \"Only October billable work.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Missing the cap","why":"The AI bills all 9 template hours though the contract caps them at 8.","fix":"Add: \"Cap social templates at 8 hours.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Not asking to see the work","why":"A client may question a bare number.","fix":"Add a line to copy: \"1. Menu layout: 4 + 2.5 = 6.5h x $60 = $390\"","checks":["r1","numberedItems"]},{"title":"Leaving the ending open","why":"The AI adds payment terms and a friendly note.","fix":"Add: \"End with Total due: $X. Nothing after it.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each line: \"each line under 14 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Forgetting where it goes","why":"AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in an invoice tool's line items.","fix":"Add: \"Plain text, no bold, headings or tables.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Limits it to October","patterns":["october|oct","only.{0,20}billable","leave out|exclude"]},{"label":"Applies the cap","patterns":["cap","8 hours","fixed scope"]},{"label":"Asks to show the math","patterns":["show (the |your )?(math|work)","x \\$|\\bx\\b.{0,10}=","calculation","step"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)","under \\d+"]},{"label":"Asks for plain text","patterns":["plain","no bold","no markdown","no formatting","no (headings|tables)"]}],"hint":"The log mixes months and has a capped project. Tell the AI exactly what to bill and ask it to show each line's math.","rubricLabels":["Social templates are billed at the 8-hour cap: 8 x $60 = $480 (not 9 hours or $540)","Logo revisions are 3.5 hours = $210 (the Sep 29 call left out) and Menu layout is 4 + 2.5 = 6.5 hours = $390 (the Nov 1 tweaks left out)","The last line gives Total due: $1,080, and there is no intro, note or testimonial ask"]}