Count back a new hire's setup tasks from a moved start date

About this exercise

You're the office manager preparing for a new hire whose start date just moved earlier. You want exactly 5 numbered lines in date order, each as date - task - who, under 60 words, plain text. Count every task back from the new start date using the lead times in your notes. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Using the old start date. Jan 19 is at the top of the notes. Try: Add: "Priya now starts Mon Jan 12. Count back from that."
• Counting calendar days. The AI counts weekends and the holiday as workdays. Try: Add: "Count business days, skipping weekends and Jan 1."
• Dropping who does it. The AI lists tasks without names. Try: Add: "Each line: date - task - who."
• Letting the AI pick the layout. The AI makes a table with headings. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 5 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 8 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Says how many lines
• Uses the new start date
• Counts business days
• Shows the line shape
• Sets a word limit

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