Guides › Planning & Productivity
Break a big project into small steps with dates
Describe a project and get a step-by-step plan with milestones, deadlines worked back from your end date and the first action for today.
When to use it
At the start of any project that feels too big
Step by step
Describe the project
Write a few lines on what you're trying to achieve, the deadline, who's helping and how much time you have each week.
Ask for a plan
Paste this prompt into your AI assistant.
Prompt to copyHelp me plan this project: [describe goal]. Deadline: [date]. Time I can give it: [hours per week]. Who's involved: [people]. Break it into 4 to 6 phases. For each phase list the tasks (each under 2 hours, starting with a verb), who does it, and a target date working back from the deadline. Add a buffer week before the deadline. Highlight any task others are waiting on. Finish with the very first step I can do today in under 15 minutes.Put it somewhere you'll track it
Copy the plan into a Google Sheet, Excel file or notes app, with a column to tick tasks off.
Check in weekly
Each week, paste what you've done and ask the AI to adjust the remaining dates.
What you get
Phase 1 Plan (by 21 Nov): Set budget; list must-haves. Phase 2 Quotes (by 5 Dec): Contact 3 kitchen fitters; compare quotes. Phase 3 Order (by 19 Dec)... Buffer week: 2-9 Mar. First step today: Measure the kitchen walls and write them down.
Tips
- If a task takes longer than two hours, ask the AI to split it again; smaller steps are easier to start.