40 ready-made AI prompts for work and life: copy and use

In short: a ready-made prompt is a template that already contains the role, task, context and format — you just fill in the square brackets. Below are 40 such templates across six categories: work emails, writing, learning, analysis, career, everyday life. Copy, swap the brackets, send to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini — they work the same in all of them.

How to use this list

Three rules to make the templates actually work:

• Fill in every bracket. An empty bracket is a hole the model plugs at random, and the answer turns generic.
• Add your own material. Almost any prompt gets stronger if you paste the source after it: the email, the draft, the data, the constraints.
• Don't stop at the first answer. "Shorter", "different tone", "replace the example" — 2–3 refinements usually get you there.

If the "Role + Task + Context + Format" formula is new to you, start with what a prompt is and how to write one — then you'll be able to build your own, not just copy.

Work emails and correspondence (8)

The biggest time saver: not "write an email", but an email with a defined goal and tone.

You are an experienced business correspondent.
Task: write an email to my colleague [name/role] asking for [what you need].
Context: deadline [date], my previous request went unanswered,
the relationship is good and professional — no pressure.
Format: under 120 words, polite but with a clear deadline and one question at the end.

• Soften a harsh email: "Here's my draft: [text]. Rewrite it so the meaning and the ask stay intact but the tone becomes calm and professional. In two bullets, explain what you changed and why."
• Polite decline: "I've been offered [what]. I'm declining because [reason]. Write a 3–4 sentence decline: no self-flagellating apologies, but leave the door open."
• Reply to an unhappy customer: "The customer writes: [complaint]. The facts on my side: [what actually happened]. Write a reply: acknowledge the problem, explain without excuses, propose a concrete next step with a date."
• Chasing an overdue task: "Write a third reminder about [task]. Tone: friendly, but now naming the consequence of the delay: [consequence]. Under 80 words."
• Meeting recap: "Here are my meeting notes: [text]. Build a recap email: decisions, owners, deadlines. As a separate list — open questions with no decision yet."
• Email in another language: "Translate this email into [language]: [text]. Keep the meaning but adapt the phrasing to that language's business norms rather than translating literally. Flag places where the original tone would read as rude."
• Triage an incoming email: "Here's a long email: [text]. Answer three questions: what do they want from me, by when, and what happens if I don't reply. One sentence each."

Writing and content (6)

You are an editor who cuts filler.
Task: shorten the text below to [N] words without losing a single fact or conclusion.
Context: audience — [who], reading on a phone, short on time.
Format: the shortened text first, then a list of what you cut.
Text: [paste yours]

• Headlines: "Here's the text: [text]. Give 10 headline options: 3 neutral, 3 with a number, 3 as a question, 1 provocative. No clickbait — the promise must be delivered by the text."
• Outline before writing: "I'm writing [what] for [whom]. The reader's goal: [why they care]. Draft an outline of 5–7 sections with one sentence each on what belongs there. Don't write the text itself."
• Find the weak spots: "Read this as a sceptical reader: [text]. Name 5 places where you'd stop believing or get bored, and explain each. Don't rewrite."
• Adapt across channels: "Take this text: [text]. Make three versions: a 600-character post, a newsletter email, and a one-minute video script. One message, three shapes."
• Match my voice: "Here are 3 of my texts as a style sample: [texts]. Write a new one on [topic] hitting the same voice. Then list which style markers you reproduced."

Learning and unpacking hard things (6)

You are a patient teacher.
Task: explain [topic] so that someone with no background gets it.
Format: first an everyday analogy, then a 150-word explanation of the substance,
then three questions to check my understanding — and wait for my answers, don't answer for me.

• Debrief a mistake: "I solved it this way: [my solution]. The correct answer is: [answer]. Don't hand me the solution — show me which step I went wrong at and why that's a typical error."
• Study plan: "I want to learn [skill] in [timeframe], I can spend [N] hours a week, starting level [what]. Build a week-by-week plan: what to do, what to practise on, how to check the week landed."
• Socratic mode: "Don't explain [topic] to me directly. Ask one question at a time and lead me to the understanding. If I'm wrong, don't correct me — ask a guiding question."
• Summarise an article: "Here's the text: [paste]. Give me: 1) the main claim in one sentence, 2) the author's three arguments, 3) what the author asserted but never proved."
• Revision cards: "Make 15 question-answer cards on [topic] for a [level] learner. Answers no longer than two sentences. No guessing questions."

Analysis and decisions (7)

You are an analyst who argues with me instead of agreeing.
Task: pressure-test the decision — [what I'm about to do].
Context: goal [what], constraints [money/time/people], deadline [when].
Format: 3 strong arguments for, 3 against, the risk I've most likely missed,
and one question whose answer would change the decision.

• Devil's advocate: "Here's my plan: [plan]. Find its weakest link and explain how it falls apart in reality. Don't soften it."
• Compare options: "Compare [option A] and [option B] for [task]. Format: a table — criterion, A, B, what matters most for me. Choose the criteria yourself and justify them."
• Read the data: "Here are the numbers: [data]. Name three conclusions that follow from them, and separately — conclusions that do NOT follow even though they look logical."
• Negotiation prep: "I'm negotiating with [who] about [what]. My position: [what]. Play the other side: what three objections will you raise and what do you actually want?"
• Review someone else's document: "Here's a contract/terms/email: [text]. Flag the places where my interests aren't protected and phrase the questions worth asking. Don't give legal guarantees — just what to look at."
• Break a task into steps: "Task: [what needs doing]. Break it into steps so the first takes no more than 15 minutes. Mark the step where people usually give up."

Career and money (5)

• Tailor a CV: "Here's my CV: [text]. Here's the job ad: [text]. Rewrite the experience section for it: same facts, emphasis on what's relevant. Flag what the CV is missing for this role."
• Interview prep: "Job ad: [description]. My background: [brief]. Ask me 8 questions they'll realistically ask, including two uncomfortable ones. One at a time, wait for my answer."
• Raise conversation: "I want to discuss a raise. My results this year: [list]. Build the case: what to say, in what order, and how to answer 'there's no budget right now'."
• Assess an offer: "Offer: [terms]. What questions should I ask before signing? What usually turns out to matter more than it seems up front?"
• Weekly plan: "Here are my tasks: [list]. Sort them by urgent/important, suggest what to drop entirely, and name the one task that yields the most."

Everyday life (8)

• Meals and groceries: "Build a week's menu: [how many people], budget [amount], no [allergens/foods], cooking under 30 minutes. Separately — a shopping list grouped by supermarket aisle."
• Spending review: "Here's my month of spending: [list]. Group it into categories, find the three where most leaks out, and suggest one realistic cut for each."
• Trip planning: "I'm going to [city] for [how many days], interests: [what]. Build a day-by-day route that respects geography so I'm not zigzagging. Flag what to book in advance."
• A difficult conversation: "I need to tell [who] about [what]. I'm worried they'll [reaction]. Help me find the wording: what to say first, what not to say at all."
• Instructions in plain language: "Here's a manual: [text]. Rewrite it step by step for someone doing this for the first time. Mark the step people most often get wrong."
• Gift ideas: "A gift for [who], budget [amount], they like [what], dislike [what]. Give 10 ideas: 5 conventional, 5 non-obvious. No clichés like a gift card."
• Rehearse a talk: "I'm speaking [where] for [how long] to [whom]. Topic: [what]. Give me a structure, an opening line and a closing line. Then ask 3 questions the room might raise."

What to do next

Don't try to memorise forty templates — pick three that match real tasks and run them this week. Then build your own: when a prompt works, save it to your notes. In a month you'll have a personal library that beats anyone else's list.

One caveat: every answer to these prompts is a draft, not the truth. A model can confidently invent a fact, a number or a link — why that happens is covered in AI hallucinations. Which data is safe to paste into a chat at all is in our piece on privacy when working with AI. And if you want a prompt that doesn't just answer but carries out a multi-step task on its own, that's the territory of AI agents.