15 Ways to Write Simple Prompts for ChatGPT (with checklist)

What’s the one task that eats up most of your day?

Is it answering emails? Drafting reports? Or maybe it’s cleaning up spreadsheets that refuse to cooperate?

So, how about this? What if I told you there’s a way to speed through these tasks, giving you back at least 2 hours in your day, every day? Maybe more once you start to automate ChatGPT into your workflow. More on that in the following tutorials.

Interested?

The answer lies in simple prompts. These straightforward instructions allow you to use ChatGPT – with no coding skills as we work in the UI only – to complete repetitive or time-consuming tasks faster and more effectively.

Honestly, after you get the hang of it, you’ll wish you’d started sooner. It’s not hard, but it takes a bit of a mind shift to get a sense of how it works.

Most people make the mistake of treating it as an Uber search engine, which you can do, but it’s really much more useful than that.

Think of it as like having the smartest-person-in-the-room at your side – 24/7.

What’s a Simple Prompt?

Think of a simple prompt as giving ChatGPT a one-line instruction.

Imagine you’re asking a coworker to help you with a task: you’d say something short and clear, like, “Can you proofread this email?” or “What’s the fastest route to the airport?” That’s exactly what you do with ChatGPT.

Here’s an analogy: Writing a prompt is like ordering at a restaurant. You don’t just say, “Food, please.” Instead, you’re specific: “I’ll have a cheeseburger with no pickles.” A well-written prompt ensures ChatGPT delivers exactly what you want.

Make sense?

Why Simple Prompts Matter

Starting with simple prompts is like learning the alphabet before writing essays. They’re easy to create and perfect for straightforward tasks like:

• Retrieving facts:
  • “How many meters in a mile?”
  • “Summarize this paragraph in one sentence.”
• Proofreading and editing:
  • “Check this email for grammar and tone.”
  • “Suggest improvements for this report introduction.”
• Generating short content:
  • “Write a two-sentence thank-you note.”
  • “Create a catchy title for a report about sales trends.”

The Benefits of Simple Prompts

Personally, I have ChatGPT open in a tab all day long. I run everything by it. Here are some ways you can weave it into your daily workflow.

• Save Time: Did you know employees spend 28% of their workweek reading and responding to emails, according to McKinsey? Using prompts can trim hours off this.
• Reduce Stress: No more staring at blank screens or feeling stuck. ChatGPT provides quick solutions for even mundane tasks.
• Boost Quality: ChatGPT can polish your writing, ensuring professionalism and clarity without extra effort. You can ask it to merge multiple documents and emails from colleagues across the planet, and summarize it all in US English. Then export it to Word.

Getting Started: Practical Examples

Here’s three examples to give a taste of what you can do:

Example 1: Emails

Prompt: “Write a polite response declining an invitation to a conference.”

Result: A well-crafted email you can copy and paste in seconds.

Example 2: Reports

Prompt: “Summarize this data in three bullet points for a presentation.”

Result: A concise summary ready to share with your team.

Example 3: Spreadsheets

Prompt: “Explain how to create a pivot table in Excel in simple terms.”

Result: Step-by-step instructions you can follow without needing a tutorial.

Why You Should Start Today

AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming as essential as email. According to Gartner, by 2025, 30% of large organizations will use AI to improve processes and reduce workload.

As I said above, the sooner you start using it, the sooner you’ll find lots of use cases where it can save you time, refine how you do things, and also come up with new ideas. It’s brilliant for brainstorming and getting past writer’s block.

Klariti Checklist for Writing Simple Prompts

Here’s Klariti’s checklist for writing simple prompts.

1. Be Clear

• Use straightforward language and avoid vague instructions.
• Bad: “Can you maybe look over this email and fix it?”
• Good: “Proofread this email for grammar and tone.”

2. Focus on One Task

• Break larger tasks into manageable steps.
• Bad: “Summarize this article and write a blog post about it.”
• Good: “Summarize this article in one paragraph.”

3. Set Context

Provide necessary background to guide ChatGPT.

Example: “Write a formal email to a potential client introducing our company.”

4. Start Small

Begin with straightforward prompts before attempting more complex ones.

5. Iterate

Refine your prompt if the response isn’t exactly what you need.

Example: “Rewrite this to sound friendlier and include a call to action.”

6. Be Specific About Format

• Clearly state how you want the output to appear (list, table, code block, etc.).
• Bad: “Tell me about the pros and cons.”
• Good: “List the pros and cons in a two-column table.”

7. Define Your Audience

• Tailor your prompt to who will read the output.
• Bad: “Explain this concept.”
• Good: “Explain this concept to a beginner who has no technical knowledge.”

8. Use Examples

• Provide samples of what you do or don’t want in the response.
• Bad: “Write me a friendly email.”
• Good: “Write a friendly email. Example tone: ‘Hi there! Hope you’re doing well.’”

9. Provide References and Resources

• Share specific text, URLs, or documents to ensure accurate outputs.
• Bad: “Summarize this topic.”
• Good: “Summarize the key points from this [insert URL] article in three sentences.”

10. Try Role-Play

• Ask ChatGPT to adopt a persona to suit the task.
• Bad: “Draft a response to this complaint.”
• Good: “Act as a customer service representative and write a polite response to this complaint.”

11. Reference Earlier Responses

• Build on previous ChatGPT outputs by referring back to them.
• Bad: “Summarize everything we talked about.”
• Good: “Summarize the last three responses into one paragraph.”

12. Create Multiple ChatGPT Conversations

Use different chat threads for separate topics.

13. Refine, Regenerate, and Iterate

• Expect multiple attempts to get the best result.
• Example: “Add more examples to the response you just gave.”

14. Build a Custom GPT (for paid users)

Train a GPT for repetitive tasks like drafting social media captions in your style.

15. Try Different Input Methods

Experiment with typing, speaking, or sharing your screen to find what works best for you.

My Challenge for You

Right now, log into ChatGPT (or Gemini, Claude or Copilot) and try creating three simple prompts for tasks you normally do at work. Here’s a starting point:

• Write a polite email asking for a raise.
• Summarize your latest project update in two sentences.
• Create a short note thanking a new coworker for their help.

Final Thoughts

As Steve Jobs once said, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.” The same applies to prompts. Start small, experiment, and watch how much easier your workday becomes.

In the next article, we’ll dive into writing complex prompts—the secret sauce for tackling multi-step projects.