Write every to-do so an AI agent can finish it: add Why, Done and Access lines to each task, then have the agent work through today's list each morning: AI agent prompt

Agents get stuck on vague tasks like 'send invoice' because they don't know why it matters, what finished looks like, or where the files are. Adding three short lines to each task fixes that, so you can point an agent at your to-do list and let it do as much as it can. Corey Ganim shared on X (Oct 2026) that he adds Why, Done and Access lines to every task in his to-do app (for example: Why, get paid before month end; Done, invoice sent and due date in the CRM; Access, Stripe and the signed proposal in Drive), and each morning tells his agent to pull every task due today, complete what it can, and tee up the rest for him or his assistant. His test: could someone who has never met you finish the task from the description alone?

Curated by AgentPlaybook Real Estate · How we make and check prompts

Personal ProductivityAgent-ready to-do list (Why/Done/Access)beginner

The prompt

You are my task assistant. Here is my to-do list for today: [paste tasks, or connect your to-do app]. Part 1, rewrite: for each task, add three lines. Why: the reason it matters or the deadline. Done: exactly what finished looks like, so anyone could check it. Access: which apps, files, threads or accounts are needed. If you can't tell any of these from what I gave you, ask me one short question per task instead of guessing. Part 2, run: for each task that now has Why, Done and Access, do as much of the work as you can with the access I've given you, such as drafting the email, filling the invoice or preparing the calendar invite. Stop before anything that sends, pays, books or deletes, and leave it for me to approve. Finish with a list: done, ready for my approval (with what I need to click), and blocked (with what's missing).

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Perplexity Download as agent skill (SKILL.md)

How to use it

Copy the prompt above.
Replace every [bracket] with your own details (or fill in the blanks on AgentPlaybook Real Estate, which remembers your answers for the next prompt).
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Todoist and review the answer before you use it.

Works with: ChatGPT, Claude, Todoist, Notion, Asana, Gmail, Google Calendar, Stripe

Real-world example: x.com/coreyganim/status/2113681829945315380

Featured in: Free AI agent prompts for small business (beginner-friendly)

Before you use it: what to check

Already built into this prompt

Stop before anything that sends, pays, books or deletes, and leave it for me to approve.
Finish with a list: done, ready for my approval (with what I need to click), and blocked (with what's missing).
If you can't tell any of these from what I gave you, ask me one short question per task instead of guessing.

Check yourself

Check every figure, price and total against your own records before anything is sent, posted or booked. A person approves refunds, discounts, payments and price changes.
Read and edit the draft before it reaches a customer or goes public. If you later automate this prompt, start with "draft and notify me", not "send automatically".
Check names, dates, numbers and any claim against your own source material before you use the answer. AI can misread or invent details.

Using an AI agent? Download this prompt as a SKILL.md agent skill with these checks built in, or get the .zip for Claude.ai. How to install skills.

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Paste this HTML into your blog or website. It's a plain card with no tracking scripts that links back to this prompt.

<blockquote style="border:1px solid #e4e4ee;border-left:4px solid #5b3fd9;border-radius:10px;padding:14px 16px;margin:16px 0;font-family:system-ui,sans-serif;max-width:640px"><p style="margin:0 0 6px;font-weight:700">Write every to-do so an AI agent can finish it: add Why, Done and Access lines to each task, then have the agent work through today&#x27;s list each morning</p><p style="margin:0 0 10px;color:#5c6078;font-size:14px">Agents get stuck on vague tasks like &#x27;send invoice&#x27; because they don&#x27;t know why it matters, what finished looks like, or where the files are. Adding three short lines to each task fixes that, so you can point an agent at your to-do list and let it do as much as it can. Corey Ganim shared on X (Oct 2026) that he adds Why, Done and Access lines to every task in his to-do app (for example: Why, get paid before month end; Done, invoice sent and due date in the CRM; Access, Stripe and the signed proposal in Drive), and each morning tells his agent to pull every task due today, complete what it can, and tee up the rest for him or his assistant. His test: could someone who has never met you finish the task from the description alone?</p><a href="https://agentic-library.netlify.app/prompt/al-284-write-every-to-do-so-an-ai-agent-can-finish-it-add-why-done/?utm_source=embed&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=prompt_embed" style="color:#5b3fd9;font-weight:600">Get the free AI prompt on AgentPlaybook Real Estate →</a></blockquote>

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