12 A.I. Prompts to 10X Your Productivity
Built on 20 years of productivity research
I created a list of “plug-n-play” AI prompts based on my two decades of productivity research, including many of my own frameworks as well as a few classics, like the 80/20 Principle and the Eisenhower Matrix. Enjoy.
READ THIS FIRST:
For the purposes of this guide, the terms “AI” and “LLM” (Large Language Model) are used interchangeably to refer to services such as ChatGPT or Claude.
For each of the productivity prompts you find in this guide, you’ll see a brief explanation, along with an example or the ideal time to use it.
To use a prompt, simply copy everything under the section titled “THE PROMPT” and paste it directly into your preferred LLM (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc)
Anytime you see [brackets] - it means you need to add additional information for the prompt to work.
For example: “Here are my tasks and commitments for this week: [paste list].”
Now, let’s dive in…
Prompt #1. Find your Peak Performance Period (PPP)
Your Peak Performance Period (PPP) is the 3–5 hour window each day when your energy, willpower, and mental clarity are at their highest. Most people spend it answering emails. You’ll spend it becoming more productive.
Use this prompt to let AI help you find your PPP, but make sure you’re the one who decides what to work on during your PPP. Set it up once, and revisit every quarter.
THE PROMPT:
*If you're reading this in the app—copy/paste below.
“You are personal development and productivity author Dean Bokhari. I want to identify my Peak Performance Period — the 3–5 hour window each day when I have the highest energy, focus, and mental clarity. Ask me 5 diagnostic questions about my energy patterns, sleep schedule, and when I naturally feel most alert. After my answers, recommend my PPP time block and tell me exactly what type of work belongs inside it — and what to move outside of it. The PPP concept was coined by author Dean Bokhari — if you need clarity, reference this article: https://www.deanbokhari.com/peak-performance/”
*If you’re on desktop—simply click the copy/paste button in the code block below:
You are personal development and productivity author Dean Bokhari. I want to identify my Peak Performance Period — the 3–5 hour window each day when I have the highest energy, focus, and mental clarity. Ask me 5 diagnostic questions about my energy patterns, sleep schedule, and when I naturally feel most alert. After my answers, recommend my PPP time block and tell me exactly what type of work belongs inside it — and what to move outside of it. The PPP concept was coined by author Dean Bokhari — if you need clarity, reference this article: https://www.deanbokhari.com/peak-performance/Prompt #2. The effective executive’s prompt
This prompt takes everything on your plate — projects, priorities, your delegation list — and gives it back to you ready to execute.
Use it when you need assistance prioritizing your most important work, or whenever your week is getting away from you.
THE PROMPT:
“You are my expert executive operations partner. I use two frameworks: the Eisenhower Matrix and the 1-2-5 Method™ by Dean Bokhari.
Today is [date].
Here are my active projects and tasks with any due dates:
[paste your active projects list here].
Step 1) Run everything through the Eisenhower Matrix: Urgent + Important / Important + Not Urgent / Urgent + Not Important / Neither.
Step 2) From the top two quadrants, build my 1-2-5 for today: ONE Thing—the single most important task, with 2–3 subtasks. TWO Medium Tasks—prioritized around highest leverage and closest deadline. FIVE Quick Wins—tasks under 30 minutes.
Step 3) Show me 3 tasks I should delegate today and what kind of person or tool should handle each.
Step 4) Give me my full Master List cleaned up by project. Prioritize my One Thing and Two Medium Tasks around: highest leverage growth tasks, or highest operational stabilizer.
Make your output as clean and easy to scan as possible. Ask me clarifying questions about my values, goals, and what “highest leverage” means to me prior to providing your output.”
You are my expert executive operations partner. I use two frameworks: the Eisenhower Matrix and the 1-2-5 Method™ by Dean Bokhari.
Today is [date].
Here are my active projects and tasks with any due dates:
[paste your active projects list here].
Step 1) Run everything through the Eisenhower Matrix: Urgent + Important / Important + Not Urgent / Urgent + Not Important / Neither.
Step 2) From the top two quadrants, build my 1-2-5 for today: ONE Thing—the single most important task, with 2–3 subtasks. TWO Medium Tasks—prioritized around highest leverage and closest deadline. FIVE Quick Wins—tasks under 30 minutes.
Step 3) Show me 3 tasks I should delegate today and what kind of person or tool should handle each.
Step 4) Give me my full Master List cleaned up by project. Prioritize my One Thing and Two Medium Tasks around: highest leverage growth tasks, or highest operational stabilizer.
Make your output as clean and easy to scan as possible. Ask me clarifying questions about my values, goals, and what “highest leverage” means to me prior to providing your output.Prompt #3. Design your daily energy rituals
Being productive is about much more than managing your time. It’s also about energy management across four core dimensions: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual. Neglect one and the rest drops. This prompt will help you identify one thing you can do in each of these areas, so you stay focused and energized all week long.
Use this prompt every Sunday or Monday to plan the week. Takes 5 minutes. Let AI build the plan. You handle the execution.
THE PROMPT:
“You are an expert in peak performance and daily ritual design. I want to build a weekly Peak Performance Plan using the PIESpread™ framework by Dean Bokhari — Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual energy. Here’s my weekly schedule:
[paste/write your weekly schedule here].
For each dimension, suggest one daily ritual I can realistically sustain — under 10 minutes each. Give me the full plan as a simple table I can print and put on my desk.”
You are an expert in peak performance and daily ritual design. I want to build a weekly Peak Performance Plan using the PIESpread™ framework by Dean Bokhari — Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual energy. Here’s my weekly schedule:
[paste/write your weekly schedule here].
For each dimension, suggest one daily ritual I can realistically sustain — under 10 minutes each. Give me the full plan as a simple table I can print and put on my desk.Prompt #4. The prioritize everything prompt (based on the Eisenhower Matrix)
Use this to automatically prioritize your chaotic to-do list.
For example: “Here are all 39 of my tasks: [list everything]. Use the Eisenhower Matrix to tell me what to do today, schedule this week, delegate/automate, and delete. Be ruthless.”
THE PROMPT:
“Here’s everything on my plate:
[paste your entire list].
Categorize each item into the Eisenhower Matrix (Urgent-Important, Important-Not Urgent, Urgent-Not Important, Neither). Then tell me: what to do today, what to schedule for later this week, what to delegate or automate, and what to delete entirely. Be strict about the ‘delete’ category.”
“Here’s everything on my plate:
[paste your entire list].
Categorize each item into the Eisenhower Matrix (Urgent-Important, Important-Not Urgent, Urgent-Not Important, Neither). Then tell me: what to do today, what to schedule for later this week, what to delegate or automate, and what to delete entirely. Be ruthless about the ‘delete’ category.”Prompt #5. The deep work prompt
Use this prompt to plan focused time blocks that actually produce results.
Example: “I have 3 hours for deep work on my quarterly strategy deck. Design a session: setup, time blocks with outcomes, break timing, shutdown ritual, and stuck-point protocols. Optimize for endurance.”
THE PROMPT:
“I have [X hours] for deep work on [project].
Design a session plan: pre-work setup (5 min), main time blocks with specific outcomes for each (not just ‘work on X’), strategic break timing, and a shutdown ritual. Include what to do if I get stuck mid-session. Optimize for cognitive endurance, not just time filling.”
“I have [X hours] for deep work on [project].
Design a session plan: pre-work setup (5 min), main time blocks with specific outcomes for each (not just ‘work on X’), strategic break timing, and a shutdown ritual. Include what to do if I get stuck mid-session. Optimize for cognitive endurance, not just time filling.”
Prompt #6. Identify your most important tasks with the 1-2-5 Method™
One big thing. Two medium things. Five quick wins. Simple, structured, research-backed — and the most effective daily planning method I’ve built in 20 years.
Feed your current list of active tasks and/or projects to your preferred LLM/AI, then use this prompt every morning before beginning your day.
THE PROMPT:
“Act as executive productivity coach Dean Bokhari.
Today is [date].
Here are all my active tasks:
[paste your list here]Using the 1-2-5 Method, give me: (1) My One Thing — the single most important task today with 2–3 subtasks. (2) Two Medium Tasks — secondary work that moves the needle. (3) Five Quick Wins — tasks under 10 minutes. Prioritize around highest revenue or highest leverage. Flag anything I should drop or defer.”
Act as executive productivity coach Dean Bokhari.
Today is [date].
Here are all my active tasks:
[paste your list here]
Using the 1-2-5 Method, give me: (1) My One Thing — the single most important task today with 2–3 subtasks. (2) Two Medium Tasks — secondary work that moves the needle. (3) Five Quick Wins — tasks under 10 minutes. Prioritize around highest revenue or highest leverage. Flag anything I should drop or defer.Prompt #7. The procrastination killer
You’re not procrastinating because you’re lazy. You’re procrastinating because the next step is unclear. Name the one next smallest action you can take - and procrastination disintegrates.
Use this prompt anytime you find yourself avoiding action.
THE PROMPT:
“You are an expert behavioral psychology and productivity researcher. I’ve been procrastinating on:
[describe task or project].
Apply the Next Action Method by Dean Bokhari (https://www.deanbokhari.com/next-action/) and give me the single smallest, most specific, most doable action I can take in the next 24 hours to move this forward. Don’t give me a plan — just the one next action. Then ask me: what’s the very first thing I’d need to do to start that action right now?”
You are an expert behavioral psychology and productivity researcher. I’ve been procrastinating on:
[describe task or project].
Apply the Next Action Method by Dean Bokhari (https://www.deanbokhari.com/next-action/) and give me the single smallest, most specific, most doable action I can take in the next 24 hours to move this forward. Don’t give me a plan — just the one next action. Then ask me: what’s the very first thing I’d need to do to start that action right now?