The base prompt
Act as my day planner. Today I have these fixed commitments: [times]. My tasks are: [list with rough minutes]. I'm free from [start] to [end] and focus best in the [morning/afternoon]. Create a time-blocked schedule with 10 minute buffers, put the hardest task in my best window, and tell me which estimates look too optimistic.
This works because it gives the model the three things it can't guess: what's fixed, how long things take, and when you have energy. Ask for the 'too optimistic' list; it's the most useful part of the answer.
Four variations
Busy workday
Same as above, but I have back-to-back meetings from [times]. Find the gaps, protect two 60 minute deep-work blocks, and batch all email and admin into one 30 minute slot.
Low-energy day
I'm running at about half energy today. Pick the three tasks that matter most, schedule them in short 25 minute blocks with 10 minute breaks, and move everything else to tomorrow.
Weekly planning
Here are my goals for the week: [list]. Spread them across Monday to Friday, no more than five hours of focused work per day, and leave Friday afternoon free for overflow.
Rescue a derailed day
It's [time] and my plan has fallen apart. Here's what's left: [list]. I must finish [must-do] by [time]. Re-plan the rest of today, and tell me what to drop.
Fixing a vague answer
- If it gives a list with no times, add: "give every item a start and end time".
- If it overfills the day, add: "total scheduled time must not exceed [hours]; list what you cut".
- If it ignores a constraint, restate it as a rule: "Nothing between 12:00 and 13:00, ever."
- If estimates are fantasy, give your real past durations: "The last report took me three hours."
Why the answer still needs a home
A chat reply is a paragraph or a list. It can't show you that the blocks overlap, and the arithmetic often has a mistake in it: the times add up to nine hours in an eight-hour day, or two tasks share a slot. You only notice when you try to follow it.
Put it on a timeline and the problem is visible at once. In Fuidzy the day is one ruler left to right and double-booking is blocked, so an impossible plan stops you right where you place it.
Planning this on a real timeline is easier than reading about it.
Try the free planner →More templates
Meeting-heavy day
My calendar today: [meetings with times]. Find every gap longer than 25 minutes. Fit these tasks into the gaps, longest first: [tasks]. If a task doesn't fit, say so instead of squeezing it in.
End-of-day shutdown
Here's what I did today and what's unfinished: [list]. Write a five-line shutdown note, move unfinished items to tomorrow with a realistic order, and tell me the one thing I should start with in the morning.
Busy parent or carer
My fixed family commitments this week: [list]. My own work hours: [range]. Suggest where two 45-minute focus blocks per day could fit, and flag the days where it's unrealistic.
Prompt-writing principles
- State constraints as rules, not wishes.
- Give real numbers: hours available, minutes per task.
- Ask for what it couldn't fit, so nothing disappears quietly.
- Ask it to explain choices in one line each, so you can check them.
- Iterate: one tweak per follow-up gets better results than rewriting everything.
A privacy note
Chat prompts go to the model provider. Avoid pasting sensitive details such as medical or financial specifics. A planner that lets you use a local model keeps that text on your own machine.
Skip the copy-paste step
Fuidzy's built-in assistant, @fui, works inside the planner, so there's nothing to paste. Ask it "block two hours for the report tomorrow" and it drafts the change and asks before applying it. A free model is included, or connect your own API key, or a local model through Ollama or LM Studio.