Turn a research lab meeting into undergrad action items

About this exercise

You're an undergrad research assistant in a psychology lab and keep the to-do list for the undergrads. From today's lab meeting notes, you want exactly 4 numbered lines, each as Name - task - due date, under 60 words, plain text. Include only undergrad tasks, not the grad students' or professor's, and if a task was taken back from someone, follow the final word. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Missing the change. The print task is written out in full first, and the AI often keeps it. Try: Add: "Use Dr. Cho's change at the end: Sam makes the online consent form instead."
• Including everyone. The AI lists every task in the notes, including grad and professor work. Try: Add: "Only undergrad tasks: Sam, Aisha, Luis and Kai."
• Not giving the line format. Lines lose the name or the date. Try: Add: "Write each line as Name - task - due date."
• Letting the AI pick the layout. The AI groups tasks under bold headings. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 4 numbered lines, plain text."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 60 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 10 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Says how many lines
• Limits to undergrads
• Handles the change
• Gives the line format
• Sets a word limit

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