---
name: al-284-write-every-to-do-so-an-ai-agent-can-finish-it-add-why-do
description: "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?. Use when the user wants help with agent-ready to-do list (why/done/access) (personal productivity) for a small business."
---

# 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

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?

## Inputs to collect first
Ask the user for anything below that they haven't already given you. Don't guess missing facts.

- Tasks, or connect your to-do app

## Instructions

Do the task below with the user's inputs in place of each [bracket].

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).

## Safety checks (share these with the user)

- 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.
- Say clearly which parts need a person to review or approve before anything is sent, paid, posted or filed.

## About this skill

- Works with: ChatGPT, Claude, Todoist, Notion, Asana, Gmail, Google Calendar, Stripe
- Based on this real-world example: https://x.com/coreyganim/status/2113681829945315380
- Free prompt from AgentPlaybook Real Estate: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/prompt/al-284-write-every-to-do-so-an-ai-agent-can-finish-it-add-why-done/
- To install in an agent that supports Agent Skills, save this file as SKILL.md in a folder with the same name as `name` above (for example in your skills directory). Install steps for Claude.ai, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/skills/