Five Save-Forever Templates | AI for Real Life

Five prompts for daily life.

You now know the formula. You know how to get specific, how to iterate, and how to control tone. Everything from here is just applying it.

These next five templates are the ones you'll come back to over and over. Each one uses the formula you learned in the prompt-formula lesson, each one is already dialed in for mom-life, and each one has fill-in-the-blanks so you can run it in under a minute.

How to save these so you're not scrolling back here every time

The fastest option for now: copy each one into your phone's Notes app in a note called "AI prompts." Next phase, you'll learn to save them permanently in a Claude Project — but Notes works great as a starter system. Every copy button below puts the prompt in your clipboard with one tap.

Template 1 · The Dinner Planner.

The single-most-used prompt in this whole course. Run it Sunday night for the week, or Monday at 4pm for tonight.

Copy — fill in the [brackets]

Act as my practical weeknight dinner helper. Give me [3 / 5 / 7] dinner ideas for [tonight / this week] that work for [number of people, ages, any dietary limits]. Consider this: I have about [time per meal — 20/30/45 min], I want to keep it under [$ budget or "ingredients I already have"], and at least one picky eater won't touch [list their no-go foods]. For each dinner, give me: the name, what I'd need from the store if anything, and steps in 5 lines or less. Skip the pep talk.

Power follow-ups

"Turn that into a grocery list, organized by store section." · "Swap dinner #2 — my kid changed his mind about chicken." · "Give me a leftovers plan for lunches the next day."

Template 2 · The Email/Text Reply.

For every message sitting in your inbox that you keep re-reading and not answering. Stop doing that. Paste it here instead.

Copy — swap in the real message

Here's a [email / text / group chat message / school email] I need to reply to. Do three things: (1) in one line, tell me what the person is actually asking or needing, (2) tell me if it's urgent or can wait, (3) draft a reply that's warm but efficient — no corporate-speak, no "I hope this finds you well," no over-explaining. Keep it to [3–4 sentences / 1 short paragraph / just a few lines]. Here's the message: [paste the message].

If the draft sounds too stiff

"Rewrite it the way a busy mom who's texting while loading the dishwasher would write it." — this single follow-up fixes almost every draft. (Bonus: it's the exact phrase from the Voice & Tone bonus.)

Template 3 · The Brain Dump → Action List.

Best run in voice mode — just start talking. This one exists so the stuff rattling around in your head becomes three short lists instead of one big cloud.

Say out loud (or type)

I'm going to brain-dump everything on my plate right now. Let me talk, then sort it all into three lists: (1) actually has to happen today, (2) can wait a few days, (3) honestly isn't my problem and I can let go of it. For the "today" list, add the literal first small step I should take next to each item — what do I physically do in the next 5 minutes? Here's the dump: [start talking about everything on your mind — the messier the better].

When to reach for this

Sunday night overwhelm. The 3pm slump. Middle-of-the-night "what am I forgetting?" moments. Before a family event. After a long week. Getting it out of your head and onto a screen helps lift some of the weight.

Template 4 · The Kid Explainer.

For every question you can't answer well on the spot. Death, divorce, bodies, feelings, politics, why gas is expensive, why Grandma can't come over. Hand it to Claude.

Copy — fill in the [brackets]

Act as a calm, warm parent-helper. My [age]-year-old just asked me about [topic]. Give me a short, age-appropriate way to explain it that's honest but doesn't freak them out or give them more than they're ready for. Include: (1) one simple sentence I could say first, (2) the two or three follow-up points if they ask more, (3) a gentle redirect I can use if they're done talking about it. Tone: kind, real, not preachy. Don't use the phrase "it's okay to feel" — say something more concrete.

Common use cases

A pet dying. A friend moving away. A tough thing on the news. "Where do babies come from?" A family member being sick. Sibling conflict you need a script for. The big-feelings conversations you want to show up well for — and no longer have to wing.

Template 5 · The Decision Helper.

Decision fatigue is real. When you're stuck between two okay options, Claude can't make the choice for you — but it can cut the thinking in half.

Copy — fill in the [brackets]

Help me make a decision without making it for me. I'm choosing between [option A] and [option B]. What matters most to me here is [your top priority — time, money, kids' feelings, your energy, etc.]. Do this: (1) list the honest top 2 reasons for each option, (2) call out any hidden trade-off I might not be seeing, (3) ask me one sharp question that would actually break the tie. Don't pick for me. Keep it under 10 lines total.

What this is great for

Accept the playdate invite or say no. Take the kid to the doctor today or wait till tomorrow. Sign up for the activity or skip it. Book the flight now or watch for a sale. Hire the sitter or just power through. Small decisions eat your day — this template gives them back.

What you just got

Dinner planner (Template 1)
Email/text reply (Template 2)
Brain dump → action list (Template 3)
Kid explainer (Template 4)
Decision helper (Template 5)

Do this before moving on — 2 minutes

Open your phone's Notes app. Make a note called "AI prompts." Copy each of the five templates above into it (the copy button on each block drops them into your clipboard). Done. You'll open that note multiple times a week from now on.

Next up: Build Your Family Manager

The course shifts from "prompting tricks" to "permanent personalized AI that remembers your family." The Family Manager build opens with the why — what's actually inside a Project, and the difference between chat Projects and Cowork Projects — then walks you click-by-click through creating your first Project, with your kids' names, your tone, your rules. By the end of the Family Manager build you'll have a working Family Manager Claude reads before every chat.

Continue to Set Up Pro & Cowork →