Write a babysitter's evening timeline for the fridge

About this exercise

Your new babysitter, Jade, is coming Saturday night, and you'll stick her instructions on the fridge. You want exactly 5 numbered lines in time order, each starting with a clock time, under 80 words in total, plain text. Use the bedtime your partner just changed, put the no-peanuts rule in the dinner line, and leave out everything Jade doesn't need tonight. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Not showing the line shape. The AI writes a friendly letter or sections with headings instead of a timeline. Try: Show it: "Each line starts with a time, like '6:30 - Dinner: ...'"
• Missing the bedtime change. The old 7:30 bedtime is in the main notes, and the AI may copy it for both kids. Try: Add: "Use the updated bedtime from Chris's text: Maya 8:00, Theo 7:30."
• Burying the allergy. The AI may put the allergy in a separate notes section or drop it to save space. Try: Add: "Put the no-peanuts rule in the dinner line."
• Including the house chores. The AI tries to be complete and adds the wifi, dishwasher and Sunday plans. Try: Add: "Only what Jade needs tonight. Plain text, no headings."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 80 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 11 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Says how many lines
• Asks for times first
• Uses the new bedtime
• Keeps the allergy in
• Sets a word limit

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises

• Announce a new weekend rotation in three clear rules (Productivity AI · Managers and team leads)
• Announce a referral bonus with the steps to claim it (Marketing AI · HR and recruiting)
• Announce a team meeting change people will actually follow (Writing AI · Managers and team leads)
• Answer a 'found an error' question in STAR order (Writing AI · Finance and accounting)
• Answer a wholesale inquiry with clear terms (Writing AI · Small business owners)