One of my biggest flaws is saying “Yes!” to everything. Whether it’s editing someone’s resume or hosting a Gingerbread-house-making party for a dozen toddlers (clearly, I have a problem), I often find myself with far too much on my plate. It’s not that I don’t want to get something done, it’s that I often don’t know where to begin — and the more I think about it, the more frozen I feel. Too many options. Too many tabs. Too many half-formed thoughts.. It’s a specific kind of stuck that doesn’t get talked about enough.
That’s exactly where one of my favorite ChatGPT prompt comes in.
I’ve started using what I think of as the “starting line” prompt, and it’s quietly become one of the most useful ways I use ChatGPT — especially on days when my brain feels full but uncooperative.
The prompt I use when I don’t know where to start
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Here it is, exactly as I type it: “I don’t know where to start. Take what I give you and move this forward.”
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That’s it. No further instructions. No pressure on my side to be clearer or any more organized. Maybe I’ll upload an image of my busy schedule or a scribbling of my notes, but the magic of this prompt is that it gives ChatGPT permission to take the lead. It will follow up with questions, which is often exactly what I need when decision fatigue has already kicked in.
Why this works so well
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Most people assume they need to come to ChatGPT with a clear request. But in real life, that’s rarely how work (or thinking) actually starts.
This prompt works because it:
Removes the pressure to phrase the “perfect” questionLets you be vague without feeling unproductiveTurns ChatGPT into a collaborator instead of a toolInstead of asking “What should I do?” you’re saying “Help me get unstuck.” removes the pressure to phrase the “perfect” question — that shift makes a big difference.How I actually use it
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Once I paste in the prompt, I follow it with anything I have, even if it’s messy this could be in the form of bullet points about my day, half-written notes that I upload, a brain dump of my schedule, a paragraph I don’t like or simply a vague description of what I’m trying to do.
ChatGPT then does something surprisingly helpful: it organizes, prioritizes and suggests a clear next step — without overwhelming me with options.
I’ve used this prompt hundreds of times for starting projects, figuring out how to respond to emails, turning notes into a usable outline or just breaking down anything that feels too big for me to tackle.
What I like about this prompt is that it doesn’t do the work for me, it just gets me moving — which is often the hardest part.
The bottom line
If you’re staring at a blank page, an unfinished task or a to-do list you’ve been avoiding, this is the ChatGPT prompt I’d try first. A lot of viral prompts tell you what to ask. This one changes how you ask. It acknowledges something very human: sometimes the problem isn’t lack of motivation or ability — it’s not knowing where to begin. And that’s exactly the moment when most people give up. This prompt keeps that from happening.
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