Stop procrastinating on an assignment I keep avoiding
A judgment-free look at why you're stuck and a tiny first step you can start in the next 10 minutes.
The prompt
Help me get started on an assignment I keep putting off.
The assignment: [WHAT IT IS, how big, due date]
How long I've been avoiding it: [e.g. "a week"]
What I do instead: [e.g. "phone, cleaning, other homework"]
How I feel when I think about it: [e.g. "overwhelmed", "bored", "scared it won't be good enough", "don't know where to start"]
Time and energy available today: [e.g. "1 hour, pretty tired"]
Do this:
1. Name the most likely reason I'm avoiding it (unclear first step, task too big, fear of a bad grade, boredom, low energy) based on what I said. Ask one question if you're not sure.
2. Match a strategy to that reason, e.g. make the first step tiny, set a 15-minute timer, write a deliberately bad first version, work beside a friend, or remove the phone from the room.
3. Break the assignment into small steps, each with a clear finish line.
4. Give me one step I can start within 10 minutes and finish in under 25.
Return: the likely reason, the strategy, the step list, and the one thing to do right now. Keep it short and kind; no lectures.
If the avoidance is part of a bigger pattern of feeling low, hopeless, or unable to cope, suggest I talk to my school counselor or a trusted adult. If I mention thoughts of harming myself, tell me to contact a crisis line right away (in the US, call or text 988).
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Productivity & Planning prompts
What to fill in
- WHAT IT IS, how big, due date
- e.g. "a week"
- e.g. "phone, cleaning, other homework"
- e.g. "1 hour, pretty tired"
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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