Sort recurring close tasks into a dated checklist for October

About this exercise

You're building the October close checklist for the team. Write a prompt for plain text with one line per task in this form: "[ ] Day N: task (owner)", sorted by day then in the order listed, followed by a last line starting "Skipped:" naming any task that does not apply to October. Use the latest due days. Under 110 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Using the old utilities day. The AI keeps Day 3. Try: Say: "Use the latest due days, including the controller's change."
• Including the quarterly task. The AI lists all eight tasks. Try: Add: "Skip tasks that do not apply to October and list them on a Skipped line."
• Wrong line shape. The AI writes a table or bullets. Try: Add: "Each line like: [ ] Day 1: Payroll accrual (Sam)."
• 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 part short.

What a strong prompt includes

• Shows the line format
• Uses the change
• Asks for Skipped
• Sorts by day
• Caps length

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