9 Practical AI Prompts to Save You Hours This Week
How often do you use AI at work?
If you’re only using it to draft an email, you’re missing out on opportunities to save yourself valuable time.
I’ve been playing around with AI bots for a while now, experimenting with different approaches to daily tasks.
Below are 10 practical ways AI has helped me at work, along with simple example prompts.
The prompts are intentionally brief, and you’ll get better results from refining them or asking the AI to improve your initial prompt.
N.B. AI bots like ChatGPT make mistakes (it tends to be a people pleaser), so you must always sense-check their responses.
And of course, don’t forget the regulations surrounding data privacy.
1. The Prompt Engineer
One of the best uses of AI is to help you improve how you ask questions. After all, it understands the language it speaks better than you do. And the better the prompt, the better the output.
Try this prompt:
Here’s my initial prompt: [Insert Prompt]. Rewrite it to be clearer, more precise, and optimised for the best possible result. Explain what you changed and why.
2. The Editor
It’s hard to spot errors in your own writing.
When I’ve finished something, it’s always helpful to upload the text to get editing suggestions from the AI. Some feedback I pay attention to, some I don’t.
Try this prompt:
Act as a rigorous but fair editor. Critique the following text for clarity, logic, tone, and persuasion. Suggest specific improvements and explain why they help.
3. The Thinking Partner
Much of knowledge work starts with half-formed thoughts. AI is useful as a neutral thinking partner, helping you refine your thinking.
Try this prompt:
Act as a clear-thinking strategy assistant. I’m trying to think through [problem]. Ask me clarifying questions, surface assumptions, and summarise the core issue in plain English before suggesting next steps.
4. The Summariser
If you have a large PDF or report that you don’t have time to read, you can upload the document to the AI and ask it to summarise the key information. You can then ask any follow-up questions.
Try this prompt:
Summarise this article into 5 bullet points. What is the main argument, and what are the counter-arguments?
5. The Research Assistant
Instead of reading ten articles, AI can give you a structured overview as long as you treat it as a starting point, not a definitive source of truth.
Try this prompt:
Act as a research analyst and give me a concise briefing on [topic], covering key concepts, current debates, practical implications, and what I should read next for depth. Clearly flag any uncertainty or assumptions.
6. The Graphic Artist
I’ve long been envious of Photoshop wizards. Now, I can create and manipulate images myself with ease.
Ok, so they’re not always perfect, but for many use cases, they are good enough.
Try this prompt:
Create a flat-design vector illustration suitable for a business presentation background. The theme is ‘AI and leadership.’ Use a colour palette of navy blue, purple, and white. Leave the centre of the image empty so I can overlay text. Aspect ratio 16:9.
7. The Data Analyst
AI helps me interrogate data sets without me needing to be an Excel whizz.
N.B. Make sure you’re using an Advanced Data Analysis mode (like ChatGPT Plus, Gemini Advanced, or Claude) to do this.
Try this prompt:
I have attached a spreadsheet of [sales data/survey results]. Act as a senior data analyst. First, clean the data by ignoring any incomplete rows. Then, identify the top 3 significant trends and any outliers that I should be worried about. Finally, create a simple table summarising the performance by [category/region] month-over-month.
8. The Roleplay Partner
Preparing for high-stakes conversations like negotiations, those with unhappy clients, or a difficult performance review is stressful.
AI works exceptionally well as a roleplay partner, allowing you to practice your delivery and anticipate objections in a low-risk environment.
Try this prompt:
Act as a [specific role]. I am going to pitch you [idea/request]. Your goal is to offer realistic resistance and ask tough questions based on [specific context]. After our roleplay, break character and give me feedback on my persuasion and clarity.
9. The Idea Generator
I can quickly and easily generate initial ideas for the project I’m working on. The helpful ones can be a starting point for better ideas.
Try this prompt:
I am brainstorming ideas for [specific project, e.g., a marketing campaign for a new drinks brand]. Generate 20 distinct ideas. 10 should be ‘low-hanging fruit’ (easy and safe), and 10 should be ‘wild card’ ideas (high risk, high reward). Present them in a table comparing ‘Potential Impact’ vs. ‘Ease of Execution’.
