Your notes contain a reply you owe someone, an idea for next month, a half-finished task, and a reminder you have copied three times. Before you can get started, you have to work out what actually needs doing.
This prompt turns that jumble into up to three clear next steps, with the remaining items kept in a short list for later. It is a useful way to begin a week or restart a day that has become scattered.
Start with the notes you already have
Open a new chat in your AI assistant. Copy in your rough notes from your phone, a document, or a few lines you type on the spot. Leave them messy. Add your main goal and the time you have available, then send the prompt below.
The prompt
Turn these messy notes into a manageable action list. My main goal: [GOAL] Time available today: [TIME] My notes: [PASTE YOUR NOTES] Separate tasks, ideas, and unanswered questions. Combine duplicates without losing important details. Suggest up to three next actions that fit my goal and available time. Make each action specific enough that I know how to start. Briefly explain why you chose it. Keep everything else in a short “Later” list. Do not invent deadlines or treat every idea as a commitment. Flag missing information instead of guessing.
What a useful answer looks like
Imagine your goal is to prepare Friday’s newsletter and you have thirty minutes today. Your notes mention a missing quote from Maya, an unfinished opening, a registration link to check, a possible podcast, and a website redesign.
An illustrative shortlist might be:
- Ask Maya for the missing quote. This starts a task that depends on someone else.
- Draft the newsletter’s opening paragraph. You can make progress while waiting.
- Open the registration link and check where it leads. This resolves one concrete uncertainty.
The podcast and redesign belong on the “Later” list unless you decide otherwise. That distinction matters: writing down an idea should not automatically turn it into another obligation.
Take the list out of the chat
Check the suggestions against your real commitments. The assistant cannot know an unmentioned deadline or how long a particular task takes you. If an action is too large, ask: “Reduce this to a first step I can finish in ten minutes.”
Copy the actions you accept into your usual notes or task app and put the “Later” items underneath or on a separate page. The result initially exists only in the chat; copying it makes it part of the list you actually use. Start with the first action, and revisit the rest when your time or priorities change.