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Split a week of caregiving visits among siblings

  • For Small business owners
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

Your mom is recovering from surgery and needs one family member to bring dinner each evening. You run a bakery and can't do weekends. Make exactly 7 numbered lines, Mon to Sun, each like "1. Mon: Nora", where nobody is on a day they can't do, nobody does more than 3 days, and your brother's newest text counts. End with the line "Swaps: text the family group by Sunday night." Under 50 words, plain text. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Missing Sam's newest text. The AI uses his first availability and puts him on Monday. Try: Add: "Sam can't do Mondays now, per his Nov 12 text."
  • Not stating the limits. The AI balances by feel and gives one person 4 nights, or schedules Aunt Jo. Try: Add: "Nobody more than 3 nights. Only Nora, Sam and Lily."
  • Getting a table or paragraph. The AI makes a grid or explains its reasoning, which is hard to paste into a family chat. Try: Show it: "7 numbered lines, exactly like: 1. Mon: Nora".
  • No closing line. The AI ends with a friendly note instead of how swaps work. Try: Add: "Last line exactly: Swaps: text the family group by Sunday night."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 50 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap it: "only the 7 lines and the last line, no explanation."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the newest text
  • States the limit
  • Shows the line shape
  • Sets the closing line
  • Sets a word limit

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