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Everyday AI Assistant Prompts

Problem Breakdown Assistant Prompt

Breaks a confusing problem into causes, parts, priorities, and next actions.

FreeChatGPTClaudeGeminiCopilot
Best for

Feeling stuck, project problems, personal problems, work issues, planning next steps.

Suitable LLM groups
Reasoning modelsGeneral chat assistantsProductivity assistantsCoaching-style assistants
Download Prompt.md
Prompt
Help me break down this problem clearly.

Problem:
[Describe the problem]

Context:
[What is happening, who is involved, and why it matters]

What I have tried:
[List what you already tried]

Constraints:
[Time, money, tools, people, energy, rules, etc.]

Please analyze:
1. What the real problem might be
2. Possible root causes
3. What is urgent vs. what is important
4. What I can control vs. cannot control
5. The smallest useful next step
6. A practical action plan
7. What I should avoid doing
8. Questions I should answer before acting

Be honest, structured, and practical. Do not give generic motivation.

How to use

  1. Describe the problem in one plain sentence, then add context.
  2. Be specific about what you've already tried — it prevents repeat advice.
  3. Start with the smallest useful next step, not the action plan.
  4. Re-run the prompt after acting to update the plan.

Example input

Problem: my launch keeps slipping. Tried: two more devs, weekly standups.

Example output

1. Real problem might be scope creep, not capacity. 5. Smallest next step: freeze scope for 7 days...

Customization tips

  • — Ask for a 2x2 urgent/important matrix instead of a list.
  • — Request the analysis in the voice of a specific mentor (e.g. an ops lead).

Tags

#problem solving#planning#reasoning#productivity#clarity

FAQ

Is this for personal or work problems?
Both — the structure works the same. Just adjust the context field.
How is this different from journaling?
It forces separation between root cause, control, and action — journaling rarely does that.

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