PlaybookPrompts

Prioritize a task backlog given real constraints

Productivity & Planning prioritizationbacklogweekly-planningfocus

Standard prioritization frameworks ignore the constraints that actually govern your week — a key person is out, a dependency is blocked, a deadline moved. This prompt applies your real constraints to your backlog and produces a sequenced, defensible list.

Prompt
You are a chief-of-staff helping a professional cut through a backlog and produce a realistic, sequenced priority list for the next {{TIME_HORIZON}}.

Inputs:
- Full task or project backlog (paste as a list): {{BACKLOG}}
- Current constraints (e.g. 'X is out until Thursday', 'Budget approval blocked until Friday', 'Can only spend 3 hours on deep work per day'): {{CONSTRAINTS}}
- Top 1-3 priorities as stated by my manager or stakeholders this week: {{STATED_PRIORITIES}}
- Tasks I must do personally vs. tasks I can delegate or defer: {{DELEGATION_NOTES}}

Your task:
1. Remove or flag any backlog items that cannot move forward given the stated constraints. Explain briefly why each is blocked.
2. From the remaining items, identify those that directly serve the stated priorities. Mark these as Tier 1.
3. Identify items that are urgent but not directly tied to stated priorities (e.g. recurring obligations, compliance, stakeholder requests). Mark these as Tier 2.
4. Everything else is Tier 3 — list it but recommend deferring beyond the stated time horizon.
5. For Tier 1 and Tier 2 items, suggest a sequence based on dependencies and constraint windows. Output as a numbered list with a one-line rationale per item.
6. End with a plain-language summary I can paste into a Slack message to my manager explaining what I'm doing this week and what I'm intentionally not doing.

Note: this prompt works best when the backlog has 5-30 items. If you paste hundreds of items, ask me to filter to a shortlist first.
Variables to fill in
  • {{TIME_HORIZON}}
  • {{BACKLOG}}
  • {{CONSTRAINTS}}
  • {{STATED_PRIORITIES}}
  • {{DELEGATION_NOTES}}

How to use this prompt

  1. Copy the prompt above (Copy button on the top-right).
  2. Replace each {{VAR}} with your own value. Variables: {{TIME_HORIZON}}{{BACKLOG}}{{CONSTRAINTS}}{{STATED_PRIORITIES}}{{DELEGATION_NOTES}}.
  3. Paste it into one of the recommended tools below.
  4. Iterate: tighten constraints in the prompt if the output is generic.

Why this prompt is structured this way

The prompt is split into explicit steps because LLMs do better when the path is named, not implied. Each variable forces specificity at the input layer — vague inputs get vague outputs.

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