Everyday productivity
Stop your assistant forgetting what matters
You will have a one-page memory note and a ten-minute routine for keeping it current.
Before you start
- A project you are working on with an assistant over several days
- A notes app
Why long chats drift
The longer a chat gets, the more likely the assistant is to lose early details or mix them up. Decisions you made on day one quietly disappear by day five.
A short memory note fixes this. It holds only what must not be forgotten, and you paste it at the start of each new chat.
Step 1: Write the note
Keep it to one page. Include the goal, the decisions made, the rules to follow and the next step. Leave out the history.
Read this conversation. Write a one-page project note with these headings: Goal, Decisions made, Rules to follow, Open questions and Next step. Use short bullet points. Include only things I confirmed, not things you suggested.
Read it carefully. Fix anything wrong, because a wrong note is repeated in every new chat.
Step 2: Start a fresh chat with it
When a chat gets long or slow, open a new one and paste the note first. Then say what you want to do next.
This is my project note. Treat it as the source of truth. If my request clashes with it, tell me before continuing. [paste your note] Next I want to: [what you want to do]
Step 3: Refresh it at the end of each session
- Ask the assistant to update the note with today’s decisions.
- Read the changes and remove anything you did not agree to.
- Save the new version over the old one.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Pasting a whole chat instead of a short note
- Letting the assistant add decisions you never made
- Not refreshing the note, so it becomes out of date
- Storing private details in the note
Final checklist
- My note fits on one page
- It lists only confirmed decisions
- I pasted it into a fresh chat and it worked
- I refresh it at the end of each session