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What about a 30-min reset for the rest of 2025?
Self-evaluation, AI prompts for productivity, and a fast & easy email automation
Silvia Carasel
September 23, 2025
Reading time: 3 min
This week, I am exploring more practical content that can be used right away. I've compiled some nice ideas that inspired me as well, and hope you'll find them useful too.
End of quarter evaluation
Self-assessment is also a way to build self-leadership.
My “life in quarters” mantra also calls for evaluation, and since I was planning to do mine this week, I thought I’d share it here.
I’ll be using the framework from the Tiny Experiments book. It’s not a brand-new idea, but the author gave it a name:
Plus – Minus – Next
PLUS 👍 | MINUS 👎 | NEXT 👉 |
|---|---|---|
what worked well | what didn’t go as planned | how you want to move forward → what to keep, what to stop, and what to change |
It’s a simple 30-minute exercise that gives a clear overview and helps set the tone for the rest of 2025.
AI to (actually) use
I found this article with 11 ChatGPT prompts that boost productivity. The title says INSTANTLY. Well, you still have to do the work.
Here are the 3 that I liked most:
Act like my productivity coach. I’ll give you my to-do list. Break it into 25-minute time boxes, insert 5-minute breaks, and keep me accountable by asking me to check in after each box. Start by organizing my tasks now.
Summarize this for me like I’m on a deadline.
I’ve been doomscrolling and need to refocus. Give me a 2-minute breathing prompt and 1 easy task to get back on track.
All prompts are below. Try a few. It might help!
Act like my productivity coach. I’ll give you my to-do list. Break it into 25-minute time boxes, insert 5-minute breaks, and keep me accountable by asking me to check in after each box. Start by organizing my tasks now.
I have [X decision to make]. Act like my decision filter: ask me 3 clarifying questions, then present the pros/cons of each option in a simple scorecard (time cost, money cost, stress level, long-term payoff). End with a recommendation.
Summarize this for me like I’m on a deadline.
Convert the following notes into a prioritized to-do list using labels like 'Urgent', 'Important', or 'Low Priority.'
Draft this email in 60 seconds or less.
Find the hidden action items in this meeting transcript.
I’ve been doomscrolling and need to refocus. Give me a 2-minute breathing prompt and 1 easy task to get back on track.
Write a checklist for this process.
Give me a 25-minute Pomodoro task and a break reward.
List the top 5 things I can delete, unsubscribe from, or automate today to reduce digital clutter.
Life experiments to enjoy
You can send daily emails to yourself using email, Sheets, and ChatGPT.
Not all automations need to be complicated or require multiple tools.
I had this email coming into my inbox daily:
How to do it in 3 steps (for daily reminders, motivational quotes, or whatever you want):
Create a Google Sheet with ideas, messages, and whatever you want to send to yourself. In my case, I made a list and let the script decide what to pick, so I also enjoy the surprise.
Go to Extensions → Apps Script and add the script that will do the work for you.
Use ChatGPT to write the script. Just make sure you know what you want so you can write the right prompt. No coding skills needed. My example:
Tada! That’s it.
Should I prepare one sheet with daily motivational quotes + the script for next week? Hit reply with yes or no.
Have a great week ahead!
Silvia
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