Prompt Library

Top ChatGPT Prompts (Most-Used in Daily Workflows)

25 copy-paste prompts

25 ChatGPT prompts ranked by how often people actually use them in daily work. Editing, summarizing, learning, planning, decision support. The prompts that earn their place.

In short: This page contains 25 copy-paste ready prompts, organized into 7 categories with a description and pro tip for each. The first 15 prompts are free instantly — no signup needed. Hand-curated and tested by the AI Academy team.

By Louis Corneloup · Founder, Techpresso
Last updated ·Hand-curated & tested by the AI Academy team

Top Editing Prompts

4 prompts

Tighten This

1/25

[Paste text]. Tighten by 30% without losing substance. Keep voice intact.

Most-used editing prompt.

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Pro tip: The 30% target produces real cuts; without target, ChatGPT cuts arbitrarily.

Make This More Conversational

2/25

[Paste formal text]. Rewrite in conversational tone but keep the substance and respect for the reader. Not casual to the point of disrespect.

Tone calibration prompt.

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Pro tip: "Respect for the reader" is the calibration. Without it, ChatGPT goes too informal.

Critique My Draft

3/25

[Paste draft]. Tough but fair editor. What's working, what's not, what to cut, what needs more development. Don't be polite.

Honest critique prompt.

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Pro tip: "Don't be polite" is critical. ChatGPT defaults to over-positive feedback.

Proofread Without Changing Voice

4/25

[Paste]. Proofread for grammar, punctuation, typos. Don't change my voice or word choices unless they're actually wrong. Output: corrected text.

Voice-preserving proofreading.

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Pro tip: Default ChatGPT editing changes voice. The "don't change voice" rule preserves what matters.

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Top Summarization Prompts

4 prompts

Summarize This in 3 Bullets

5/25

[Paste long text]. Summarize in 3 bullets: 1) Main point, 2) Key supporting evidence, 3) What I should do with this information.

Action-oriented summary.

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Pro tip: The third bullet (what to do) makes summaries useful, not just informational.

Summarize for a Colleague

6/25

[Paste]. Summarize this for a colleague who needs to know enough to make a decision but doesn't have time for the full thing. Their question will be: [predicted question].

Audience-aware summary.

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Pro tip: Audience specification produces better summaries than generic compression.

Extract Just the Key Facts

7/25

[Paste]. Extract just the verifiable facts. Strip the analysis and opinion. Output: bullet list of facts only.

Fact-extraction summary.

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Pro tip: Useful for source evaluation. Forces separation of fact from opinion.

Find the Counter-Argument

8/25

[Paste argument or article]. Identify the strongest counter-argument the author doesn't engage with. What might they be wrong about?

Critical reading summary.

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Pro tip: Reading for what's missing = real critical thinking. Stronger than summary alone.

Top Learning Prompts

4 prompts

Explain Like I'm 16

9/25

Explain [topic] to me like I'm 16 — smart but not initiated. No jargon without immediate definition. Use analogies. Build understanding step by step.

ELI16 explanation prompt.

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Pro tip: 16 (vs 5) handles more complex topics while still requiring explanation. Sweet spot.

Teach Me [Concept] in 5 Questions

10/25

Teach me [concept] by asking me 5 increasingly probing questions about it. Don't lecture. Use Socratic method. After each of my answers, build the next question.

Socratic teaching prompt.

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Pro tip: Socratic learning is harder but stickier. ChatGPT can sustain it surprisingly well.

Three Things About This I Should Know

11/25

About [topic]: what are 3 things I should know that aren't in the standard introduction? The non-obvious or counterintuitive things.

Beyond-basics learning prompt.

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Pro tip: The "non-standard" framing surfaces material beyond Wikipedia-level summaries.

What Should I Read Next

12/25

I'm interested in [topic]. I've already read [list]. Recommend 3 books that would deepen my understanding (not duplicate what I've read). Defend each.

Reading-curation prompt.

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Pro tip: Specifying what you've read prevents redundant recommendations. Builds personal canon over time.

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Top Productivity Prompts

4 prompts

Break Down This Task

13/25

Task: [describe]. Break into specific actions in dependency order. For each: estimated time, what completion looks like, common pitfalls.

Task decomposition prompt.

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Pro tip: Dependency order is critical. Random task lists ignore real workflow.

Prioritize My Day

14/25

My today: [list of things to do]. Help me prioritize. What's actually urgent vs feels urgent? What can I drop? Order them.

Daily priority prompt.

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Pro tip: External priority sorting often reveals what self-sorting can't.

Help Me Schedule This Week

15/25

This week I have: [list of commitments + tasks]. Help me think through realistic scheduling. What needs to happen when? Where am I overcommitted?

Weekly planning prompt.

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Pro tip: External view of commitments often reveals over-commitment we miss internally.

What's the Smallest Version

16/25

I'm planning [project]. What's the smallest version that still tests the core assumption? Strip to essential.

MVP-thinking prompt.

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Pro tip: Most projects can be 10x smaller than planned. Stripping = clarity.

Top Decision Prompts

4 prompts

Help Me Decide

17/25

I'm deciding between [A] and [B]. Help me think through it. Ask clarifying questions before recommending. Surface what I might be missing.

Collaborative decision prompt.

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Pro tip: "Ask clarifying questions" turns ChatGPT into collaborator, not just summarizer.

Pre-Mortem This

18/25

My plan: [describe]. Imagine it failed in 6 months. What went wrong? Pre-mortem before launch.

Pre-mortem prompt.

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Pro tip: Pre-mortems surface failures before they happen. Powerful planning tool.

What's the Cost of Doing Nothing

19/25

I'm considering [action]. What's the cost of NOT doing it? Often the inaction cost is invisible.

Inaction-cost prompt.

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Pro tip: Surfacing inaction costs = better decisions. Many decisions weight action against status quo without examining status quo cost.

What Would Change My Mind

20/25

I currently believe [position]. What evidence or argument would change my mind?

Self-falsifiability prompt.

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Pro tip: Articulating what would change your mind tests if your position is held vs just defended.

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Top Communication Prompts

4 prompts

Help Me Have a Hard Conversation

21/25

I need to talk to [person] about [topic]. They'll likely react [reaction]. Help me prepare. Specifically: what to say, what NOT to say, how to stay grounded.

Hard-conversation prep prompt.

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Pro tip: Pre-rehearsal increases groundedness. Useful before high-stakes talks.

Rewrite My Angry Email

22/25

[Paste angry draft]. Rewrite so the same message lands but I don't sound angry. Diplomatic ≠ less direct.

Diplomatic email rewrite.

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Pro tip: Send-later policy + diplomatic rewrite = avoids many regretted sends.

Decode This Feedback

23/25

Feedback I received: [paste]. Help me understand what they actually mean — surface and underlying. What might they be reluctant to say directly?

Feedback decoding prompt.

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Pro tip: Feedback often has surface and underlying meanings. Decoding both = useful.

Articulate What I Want to Say

24/25

I want to communicate [intent] but can't find the right words. Rough version: [paste]. Help me articulate this clearly.

Articulation-help prompt.

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Pro tip: Sometimes we know what we mean but can't say it. ChatGPT mirrors back stronger versions.

Top Generative Prompts

1 prompt

10 Different Angles

25/25

Topic: [topic]. Generate 10 different angles to approach this. Variety. Pick the most interesting and tell me why.

Angle-generation prompt.

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Pro tip: 10 angles + selection = better creative output than diving into first angle.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the prompts people use repeatedly in daily workflows — editing, summarizing, learning, planning, deciding, communicating. The prompts that earn permanent places in the toolkit.
Top = most-used; best = highest quality. Heavy overlap. The most-used prompts tend to be best because they prove themselves through repeated use.
Save in a notes app for quick reference. Memorize the patterns more than exact wording. Patterns transfer; specific phrasing varies.
Yes — patterns transfer to Claude, Gemini, others. Specific output quality varies by model.
Probably "tighten this" or "summarize this." Editing and summarization are the most universal use cases. Build muscle there first.

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