{"id":"pro-fl-retainer-client-monthly-dates","audience":"freelancers","category":"planning","technique":"context","title":"Map a retainer client's monthly tasks onto real dates","free":false,"task":"You're a freelance social media manager on a monthly retainer, and you want February's deliverables on your calendar. You want exactly 4 numbered lines in date order, each as date - deliverable, under 40 words, plain text. Turn each rule in the contract into a real February date, and use the client's change to the report day. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.","materialLabel":"Contract terms and client email (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Retainer - Copper Kettle Teas - monthly deliverables (from contract)\n\n- Content calendar for next month: due the 3rd business day of the month\n- 12 posts scheduled: by the 10th of the month\n- Mid-month check-in call: second Tuesday of the month\n- Monthly results report: last Friday of the month\n\nFebruary 2026 notes: Feb 1 is a Sunday. Feb 16 is Presidents' Day (I don't work holidays, but no deliverable lands then anyway).\n\nEmail from Jen (client), Jan 28: \"Starting in February, can you send the monthly report on the last Thursday instead of Friday? Our team meeting moved.\"\n\nOther: renew my scheduling tool subscription Feb 14. Invoice goes out the 1st.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":4},{"type":"maxWords","max":40},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Copying the rules, not dates","why":"The AI writes '3rd business day' instead of a date.","fix":"Add: \"Turn each rule into an actual February date. Feb 1 is a Sunday.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Missing the client's change","why":"The contract says last Friday.","fix":"Add: \"The report is now the last Thursday.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Not sorting","why":"The AI keeps the contract order.","fix":"Add: \"Sort by date.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Letting the AI add extras","why":"The AI adds the invoice and subscription.","fix":"Add: \"Only client deliverables. Plain text, numbered.\"","checks":["numberedItems","plainText","r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 40 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part instead: \"each line under 8 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Says how many lines","patterns":["\\b(4|four)\\b"]},{"label":"Asks for real dates","patterns":["actual date","real date","calendar date","feb(ruary)? 1 is"]},{"label":"Uses the change","patterns":["thursday","jen","changed","feb(ruary)? 26"]},{"label":"Sorts by date","patterns":["sort","date order","by date"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]}],"hint":"Contract rules only help when they're dates. Ask the AI to convert each one and apply the client's change.","rubricLabels":["Lines are in date order, each with a date and deliverable","Dates are correct for February 2026: content calendar Wed Feb 4 (3rd business day), posts scheduled by Feb 10, check-in call Tue Feb 10 (second Tuesday)","The results report is Thu Feb 26 (last Thursday, per Jen's change, not Fri Feb 27), and the subscription and invoice are left out"]}