Five prompts I use every single week (and why they work).

Every few months someone shares a Notion doc with 200 "must-have ChatGPT prompts." I open it, skim it, and close it. You probably do too.

The prompts that actually earn a spot in my week are boring, short, and do one specific job. Here are the five I use weekly — with the reasoning behind each one.

1. The honest editor

I use this every time I write something longer than a paragraph. Not to polish — to gut-check.

You are a senior editor reviewing this draft.
Point out:
1. The single weakest paragraph and why.
2. One line that's trying too hard.
3. What I'm burying in paragraph 3.

Be specific. Don't hedge.

Why it works: It asks for fewer, sharper observations instead of a wall of generic feedback. The "don't hedge" line matters — without it you get diplomatic mush.

2. The pre-meeting primer

I paste in the last 3–5 emails or the meeting brief, then run this:

I have a meeting in 15 minutes about [topic].
Give me:
- The one decision we need to make
- Two questions I should ask
- One thing I'm probably missing

Why it works: It forces a decision frame. Most meetings drift because nobody named the actual decision at the top.

3. The plan compressor

When a plan has more than 5 steps, I don't trust it yet.

I paste in whatever sprawling plan I just typed and ask:

Compress this plan into 5 steps or fewer.
What did you cut and why?

The "why" matters. The cuts reveal what I was hedging on.

4. The "explain like I already know"

I'm tired of "explain like I'm 5." I usually already know the topic; I just need the specific part I'm fuzzy on.

Explain [concept] assuming I already understand
[related concept I know well]. Skip the basics.
Tell me only what makes this different.

Why it works: You get the high-signal delta instead of a Wikipedia rehash.

5. The spiral-stopper

This is the one I use at 3pm on bad days. I paste in whatever I'm obsessing over and write:

I'm stuck. Here's what I've been circling:
[paste].

Ask me three questions that would break the loop.
Don't give me advice yet.

Why it works: Advice from an AI at 3pm is rarely what you need. Questions are. This one has genuinely saved my afternoons.

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The meta-lesson

Every prompt above has three things in common:

• A role (editor, planner, etc.) — cheap but effective framing.
• A constraint (fewer, shorter, specific) — stops the model from being diplomatic.
• A clear output shape — three bullets, five steps, one decision.

Copy them. Change them. The real work isn't collecting prompts; it's noticing which ones earn a spot in your actual week.

If this was useful → book a 1:1 session and we'll build your own prompt library together.