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Summarize a departing bookkeeper's notes for the owner
- For Small business owners
- You practice Saying who it's for
- Time about 5 minutes
- Level Intermediate
About this exercise
Your bookkeeper is leaving and sent long notes. Write a prompt for a plain-text summary for Joan, the owner, with three lines starting "Done:", "Due in 14 days:" and "Open questions:". Today is Nov 6, 2026. "Due in 14 days" lists payments due on or before Nov 20 with dates and a total in dollars. Under 110 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Listing every upcoming payment. The AI lists the loan and hosting too, which are outside 14 days. Try: Say: "Only payments due on or before Nov 20."
- Stating a guess as fact. The AI says the deposit is a customer prepayment. Try: Add: "Treat Alicia's guesses as unconfirmed."
- Dropping an open item. The AI mentions one open issue and forgets the other. Try: Say: "List each unresolved item with its dollar amount."
- Markdown extras. The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.
What a strong prompt includes
- Names the reader
- Gives today's date and window
- Asks for a total
- Treats guesses as unconfirmed
- Caps length
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