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Turn quarter-end notes into a dated checklist for a small business
- For Small business owners
- You practice Asking for a format you can use
- Time about 5 minutes
- Level Beginner
About this exercise
You're the bookkeeper preparing the owner's quarter-end task list. Write a prompt for a checklist of at most 5 lines, each formatted "- [ ] Date - task - owner", sorted by date, with only the tasks that are part of the quarter-end close. Leave out personal reminders and ideas. Plain text, under 90 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Including the cake and POS ideas. The AI lists every bullet from the notes. Try: Add: "Include only the dated close tasks; leave out reminders, ideas and personal items."
- Missing owners. The AI lists tasks without who does them. Try: Say: "Each line ends with the owner."
- Wrong shape. The AI writes a table or bold dates. Try: Say: 'Exactly: - [ ] Nov 2 - task - owner.'
- 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
- Gives the line format
- Sets the count
- Sorts by date
- Leaves out extras
- Caps length
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