THE IDEA

You were there. The model was not.

Rosa has three sticky notes, a clinic voicemail, and Tuesday’s appointment time in her head.

A useful prompt names the Role, Task, Details, and Format. Replace the brackets. Keep unknowns unknown.

Then do this: Point to the source for every factual line before using a draft.

WHAT THE LABS FOUND

Useful at home. Not proof of medical judgment.

Then do this: Supply notes, mark unknowns, request a narrow draft, and inspect every line.

BEFORE YOU PASTE

Separate facts from fog

Andre remembers “Thursday” and “some form.” He is less sure who sends it.

• What I know: words heard and times written.
• What I think I heard: uncertain details.
• What I do not know: blanks the draft must not fill.
• What I want drafted: one named document.

Then do this: Remove details the job does not need. First names are often enough.

HOW TO USE THIS

Copy. Replace. Check. Act.

Mei has six minutes before work. She needs one checked clinic letter, not ten experiments.

1. Pick the page matching the next job.
2. Replace every bracket. Write “unknown” instead of guessing.
3. Check the draft against the source.
4. Take the human next step: send, ask, explain, or call.

A model does not consent for anyone or make the decision. If urgent help may be needed, contact emergency services or an appropriate clinician.

Then do this: Delete any unsupported line. Fluency is not evidence.

THE WEEK YOU ACTUALLY HAVE

Make the pile visible

Rosa has Mom’s PT Tuesday, her shift Wednesday, a pharmacy run, and one Sunday rest block.

Blind-paste failure: It may assume another person or imaginary travel time.

Then do this: Compare it with the calendar. Reply: “Show overlaps plainly. Unknowns stay unknown.”

APPOINTMENTS THIS WEEK

Let blanks remain blank

Devin finds “Thu 2:15 clinic,” “Nora dentist Fri 9,” and “ask about form.” No floor is written.

Blind-paste failure: A plausible address may belong to the wrong office.

Then do this: Confirm blanks with the office. Reply: “Delete inferred details. Write TO CONFIRM.”

THE LETTER TO THE CLINIC

Firm without invented urgency

Mei left two messages about a callback. She wants a follow-up, not a legal threat.

Blind-paste failure: It may turn delay into an unsupported negligence or urgency claim.

Then do this: Read aloud and check the callback number. Reply: “Use only my facts.”

THE CALL RECAP

Record what you heard, not what it means

Andre heard “Thursday pickup,” “prior authorization,” and “a few days.” He still does not know who sends the form.

Blind-paste failure: General background may appear as something the caller actually said.

Then do this: Save it with the date. Move unsupported “rules” to Unknown or delete them.

THE FAMILY UPDATE

Share only what you chose

Nadia wants to say Mom is home, PT is Tuesday, and she needs Sunday coverage—nothing more.

Blind-paste failure: It may add private context to make the email feel complete.

Then do this: Ask whether the person receiving care would accept every line. Cut unnecessary details.

QUESTIONS FOR THE VISIT

Questions only

Tomas has “sleep worse,” “cream seems unused,” and “after-hours number?” on his phone.

Blind-paste failure: An observation may become a condition or recommendation.

Then do this: Put the most important question first. Reply: “Questions only, from my notes.”

TONIGHT’S HAND-OFF

A routine, not a medical chart

Helen’s sister is covering from supper to bedtime. She needs the existing routine and current contacts.

Blind-paste failure: A familiar routine may become authoritative-looking clinical instructions.

Then do this: Walk through it together. Verify medication lines against the current source.

THE HARD CONVERSATION

Rehearse without mind-reading

Kwame needs his brother to cover two evenings. He does not want a script that assigns blame.

Blind-paste failure: It may manufacture a villain before the conversation begins.

Then do this: Say it aloud. Reply: “No motives. One neutral possibility only.”

RESPITE NIGHT

Plan with the help that exists

Sadie has a neighbor from five to nine, soup, a book, and a friend she may text.

Blind-paste failure: It may assume money, energy, transport, or another helper.

Then do this: Confirm the hand-off. Reply: “Use only what I have. Make it smaller.”

THE FRIDGE LIST

Copy medication lines. Never complete them.

Farah needs Saturday’s routine on the fridge. One missing number must remain missing until checked.

Blind-paste failure: Autocorrection can create a clean but dangerous medication line.

Then do this: Check every character and number. If anything changed, discard it and copy manually.

WEEK PLAN

One small thing a day

Nadia opens this booklet because tomorrow’s appointment is scattered across three notes. She uses one box and stops.

• Mon: Sort the week; mark conflicts.
• Tue: List appointments or visit questions.
• Wed: Draft the clinic letter.
• Thu: Separate call facts from inferences.
• Fri: Send one bounded family update.
• Sat: Verify a hand-off or fridge list.
• Sun: Rehearse a request or take available respite.

Then do this: Name the next physical action: open calendar, find label, call office, or send checked message.

STUCK

Repair the draft, not your whole system

Then do this: Return to the original note, label, message, or caller—not the previous answer.

FINAL CHECK

The sixty-second caregiver check

Devin’s list puts Thursday’s time beside Friday’s address. Both facts are real. Their combination is false.

1. Can I point to a source for every factual line?
2. Did unknowns stay marked?
3. Did I verify every medication character and number?
4. Is every private detail necessary for this reader?
5. Did it invent authority, policy, permission, or a quote?
6. Would I actually say or send this?
7. Who must confirm what remains?

Then do this: Correct it yourself. Save the source when appropriate. Take the human next step.

SOURCES

Research behind page 4

Blank, Schubert & Zhang. “The Household Impact of Generative AI.” March 2026. Productive digital tasks and model-implied efficiency, not timed caregiving chores.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.03144

Chatterji et al. “How People Use ChatGPT.” NBER Working Paper 34255; OpenAI summary, September 15, 2025.
https://openai.com/index/how-people-are-using-chatgpt/

Anthropic. “Be Clear and Direct.” Prompt-engineering documentation.
https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/be-clear-and-direct

Google Cloud. “Prompt Design Strategies.”
https://docs.cloud.google.com/gemini-enterprise-agent-platform/models/prompts/prompt-design-strategies

Then do this: Check the original source for every consequential detail.