Prompt library
Turn a task pile into a daily plan
The 50 percent estimate padding corrects planning fallacy with arithmetic instead of willpower, and the explicit full-line converts overcommitment from a private failure into a visible scheduling fact. The one-thing anchor gives the day a definition of success that survives interruptions.
Last reviewed July 17, 2026
The prompt
Turn my task list into a realistic plan for today.
Tasks: {{tasks}}
Fixed commitments and real available hours: {{constraints}}
Method:
1. Triage the list: must-move-today (deadline or blocking someone), should, could, and "not actually mine" (delegate or decline, say which).
2. Estimate each must/should in minutes, then add 50 percent, because everyone plans in best-case time.
3. Build the day: the hardest cognitive task goes in my first free deep block; batch the shallow tasks into one admin block; nothing over 90 minutes without a break.
4. The line: mark where the day is FULL. Everything below the line is explicitly tomorrow, so it stops haunting today.
5. The 4pm checkpoint: what to do if I am behind at 4pm (which task degrades gracefully to a smaller version, which moves).
6. End with the one thing that, if it is the only thing done today, makes today fine.
Be ruthless about the line; an overstuffed plan is a lie that ruins the evening too.Run in idaptOpens a new chat with the prompt prefilled. Nothing sends until you press send.
Fill in the variables
| Variable | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {{tasks}} | Everything on your plate, unsorted | finish the client proposal, review two pull requests, book flights for the offsite, reply to the lawyer's email, prep slides for Thursday, clear 30 unread messages, call the bank about the card |
| {{constraints}} | Meetings and real working hours | meetings 11:00-12:00 and 15:00-15:30; realistically 6 focused hours |