#spreadsheets prompts and AI conversations

My notes from fixing a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

A compact prompt and the response it produced. Replace the bracketed parts with your own details.

Owen Morgan

I am stuck on a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup. I need to inspect inconsistent spreadsheet data and propose reversible cleanup rules, but my current attempt is getting vague and too big. What would you check first?

ChatGPTgpt-5

First, shrink the decision. Do not solve the whole subject at once. 1. Put the source of truth in the prompt. 2. Mark missing evidence instead of filling it in. 3. Add a stop condition before tool use. Write down the result you need by the end of this session. Then choose one input you trust and make a first pass that can be checked. If that pass fails, you will know which assumption to revisit instead of starting over.

Show all 3 messages

3413.9k

Owen Morgan@owenmorgan·2mo ago

What finally made a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup click for me

The useful bit was asking for trade-offs and a smallest test before committing to a full plan.

Owen Morgan

Help me inspect inconsistent spreadsheet data and propose reversible cleanup rules. Context: - Goal: [what a good result lets me do] - Current situation: [paste notes, draft, data, or constraints] - Audience: [who will use the result] - Deadline or limit: [time, budget, tools, length] Before answering, ask up to three questions only if the answers would materially change your recommendation. Other

Geminigemini-2.5-pro

This is usable as written. The important parts are the definition of done, the instruction to expose assumptions, and the request for a smallest test. For a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup, I would start with these checks: - Put the source of truth in the prompt - Mark missing evidence instead of filling it in - Add a stop condition before tool use If you share real material, remove anything private first and replace bracketed fields with concrete details.

Show all 3 messages

3311.1k

Owen Morgan@owenmorgan·3mo ago

Gemini found the hole in my a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup plan

This started as a messy question about a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup. The follow-up made the answer practical.

Owen Morgan

For a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup, should I build a complete plan first or test one small slice? I have limited time and I do not want throwaway work.

Geminigemini-2.5-pro

Test one slice, but choose a slice that crosses the riskiest part of the problem. A tiny easy demo will only prove the easy part. Use this decision rule: - If reversing the choice is cheap, try it. - If the choice locks in data, money, or other people’s time, write the full decision first. - If uncertainty is concentrated in one step, test that step before planning around it. For a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup, make the first test produce evidence you can compare, not just something that looks complete.

Show all 3 messages

3411.2k

Owen Morgan@owenmorgan·5mo ago

How I ask for help with a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

Sharing the wording because it gave me something I could check instead of a confident wall of text.

Owen Morgan

Be blunt about my plan for a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup. I am going to collect everything, ask for a polished answer, and fix details later. What is likely to go wrong?

Claudeclaude-opus-4.5

Three things. - “Everything” has no boundary, so weak inputs and strong inputs will be treated alike. - A polished answer can hide missing evidence. Ask for gaps and assumptions before prose. - “Fix details later” means there is no acceptance test now. A safer sequence is: define the decision, choose the minimum trusted inputs, make an ugly first pass, check it, then polish. For this task, mark missing evidence instead of filling it in.

Show all 3 messages

3322.6k

Owen Morgan@owenmorgan·4mo ago

A blunt review of my approach to a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

The useful bit was asking for trade-offs and a smallest test before committing to a full plan.

Owen Morgan

Give me a short checklist for a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup. I want something I can run before I call the work done.

ChatGPTgpt-5

Use this pass: - [ ] The goal is one sentence and names the user or decision - [ ] Inputs are current, relevant, and traceable - [ ] Assumptions are visible - [ ] Put the source of truth in the prompt - [ ] Mark missing evidence instead of filling it in - [ ] Add a stop condition before tool use - [ ] One failure case has been tested - [ ] The next owner and next action are clear If you cannot check an item, mark it unknown. Do not quietly treat unknown as done.

Show all 3 messages

3311.3k

Mina Bell@minabell·2mo ago

Forked from@owenmorgan/What finally made a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup click for me

What finally made a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup click for me

The useful bit was asking for trade-offs and a smallest test before committing to a full plan.

Mina Bell

Help me inspect inconsistent spreadsheet data and propose reversible cleanup rules. Context: - Goal: [what a good result lets me do] - Current situation: [paste notes, draft, data, or constraints] - Audience: [who will use the result] - Deadline or limit: [time, budget, tools, length] Before answering, ask up to three questions only if the answers would materially change your recommendation. Other

Geminigemini-2.5-pro

This is usable as written. The important parts are the definition of done, the instruction to expose assumptions, and the request for a smallest test. For a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup, I would start with these checks: - Put the source of truth in the prompt - Mark missing evidence instead of filling it in - Add a stop condition before tool use If you share real material, remove anything private first and replace bracketed fields with concrete details.

Show all 3 messages

3200

Yuna Patel@yunapatel·2mo ago

Forked from@owenmorgan/My notes from fixing a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

My notes from fixing a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

A compact prompt and the response it produced. Replace the bracketed parts with your own details.

Yuna Patel

I am stuck on a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup. I need to inspect inconsistent spreadsheet data and propose reversible cleanup rules, but my current attempt is getting vague and too big. What would you check first?

ChatGPTgpt-5

First, shrink the decision. Do not solve the whole subject at once. 1. Put the source of truth in the prompt. 2. Mark missing evidence instead of filling it in. 3. Add a stop condition before tool use. Write down the result you need by the end of this session. Then choose one input you trust and make a first pass that can be checked. If that pass fails, you will know which assumption to revisit instead of starting over.

Show all 3 messages

3200

Finn King@finnking·2mo ago

Forked from@owenmorgan/How I ask for help with a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

How I ask for help with a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

Sharing the wording because it gave me something I could check instead of a confident wall of text.

Finn King

Be blunt about my plan for a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup. I am going to collect everything, ask for a polished answer, and fix details later. What is likely to go wrong?

Claudeclaude-opus-4.5

Three things. - “Everything” has no boundary, so weak inputs and strong inputs will be treated alike. - A polished answer can hide missing evidence. Ask for gaps and assumptions before prose. - “Fix details later” means there is no acceptance test now. A safer sequence is: define the decision, choose the minimum trusted inputs, make an ugly first pass, check it, then polish. For this task, mark missing evidence instead of filling it in.

Show all 3 messages

3200

Miles Rivera@milesrivera·2mo ago

Forked from@owenmorgan/Gemini found the hole in my a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup plan

Gemini found the hole in my a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup plan

This started as a messy question about a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup. The follow-up made the answer practical.

Miles Rivera

For a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup, should I build a complete plan first or test one small slice? I have limited time and I do not want throwaway work.

Geminigemini-2.5-pro

Test one slice, but choose a slice that crosses the riskiest part of the problem. A tiny easy demo will only prove the easy part. Use this decision rule: - If reversing the choice is cheap, try it. - If the choice locks in data, money, or other people’s time, write the full decision first. - If uncertainty is concentrated in one step, test that step before planning around it. For a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup, make the first test produce evidence you can compare, not just something that looks complete.

Show all 3 messages

3200

Tomas Varga@tomasvarga·2mo ago

Forked from@owenmorgan/A blunt review of my approach to a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

A blunt review of my approach to a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

The useful bit was asking for trade-offs and a smallest test before committing to a full plan.

Tomas Varga

Give me a short checklist for a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup. I want something I can run before I call the work done.

ChatGPTgpt-5

Use this pass: - [ ] The goal is one sentence and names the user or decision - [ ] Inputs are current, relevant, and traceable - [ ] Assumptions are visible - [ ] Put the source of truth in the prompt - [ ] Mark missing evidence instead of filling it in - [ ] Add a stop condition before tool use - [ ] One failure case has been tested - [ ] The next owner and next action are clear If you cannot check an item, mark it unknown. Do not quietly treat unknown as done.

Show all 3 messages

3200

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My notes from fixing a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

What finally made a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup click for me

Gemini found the hole in my a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup plan

How I ask for help with a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

A blunt review of my approach to a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

What finally made a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup click for me

My notes from fixing a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

How I ask for help with a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup

Gemini found the hole in my a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup plan

A blunt review of my approach to a prompt for spreadsheet cleanup