I’m going to be honest with you.
I don’t want to learn prompt engineering. I don’t want to read research papers about “chain-of-thought reasoning.” I don’t want to spend 20 minutes crafting the perfect prompt when I just need a quick email.
I want to copy something, paste it, and have it work.
If that’s you too, this guide is for you.
Here are 7 AI skills that require zero expertise and handle 80% of what most people use AI for. Copy once, use forever. No learning curve. No thinking required.
(Yes, I’m aware of the irony of writing a guide about being lazy. Let’s move on.)
The 7 Essential Skills (Copy-Paste Ready)
1. The Email Fixer
What it does: Takes your brain-dump draft and turns it into a professional email.
Why you need it: Because you’ve definitely written “hey can you send me that thing we talked about” and hovered over Send, wondering if it’s too casual.
How to use it:
Take this rough draft and turn it into a professional but friendly email.
Keep my intent, fix the awkwardness, keep it short.
Draft: [paste your messy draft here]
That’s it. Paste your garbage draft, get a clean email back.
Better version: Professional Email Writer — handles tone, length, and knows when to be formal vs. casual.
2. The Summarizer
What it does: Turns long documents/articles into key points.
Why you need it: Because you’re not going to read that 15-page PDF. You’re just not.
How to use it:
Summarize this in 5 bullet points. Focus on actionable takeaways.
[paste the long text]
Works for articles, reports, meeting notes, legal documents, that Slack thread that went on for way too long.
Better version: Executive Summary Generator — formats for different audiences (leadership, technical, client-facing).
3. The Explainer
What it does: Makes confusing things make sense.
Why you need it: Because sometimes you just need “what does this actually mean in normal words.”
How to use it:
Explain this to me like I'm smart but have zero background in this topic.
No jargon. Use an analogy if it helps.
[paste confusing thing]
Works for technical docs, legal terms, financial statements, medical results, basically anything written by someone who forgot that normal people need to read it.
Better version: AI Tutor — teaches concepts with examples, checks understanding, adapts to your level.
4. The Meeting Saver
What it does: Extracts action items and decisions from meeting notes.
Why you need it: Because you sat through an hour-long meeting and you’re already forgetting what you agreed to do.
How to use it:
Extract from these meeting notes:
1. Action items (with owner if mentioned)
2. Decisions made
3. Key discussion points (3 max)
Notes: [paste transcript or notes]
Even works with rough notes, partial transcripts, and that one meeting where everyone talked over each other.
Better version: Meeting Notes Action Extractor — structured output, catches implicit commitments.
5. The Writer’s Unblocker
What it does: Gets you past the blank page.
Why you need it: Because staring at a cursor is not a productive use of your time.
How to use it:
I need to write a [type of content] about [topic].
Give me 3 different opening paragraphs to choose from.
Make them interesting, not generic.
Pick the one that doesn’t suck, edit it a bit, keep going. The hardest part is starting — this starts for you.
Better version: Writer’s Block Buster — generates multiple angles, outlines, and hooks.
6. The Decider
What it does: Helps you think through decisions without endless internal debate.
Why you need it: Because sometimes you need someone to organize your pros and cons instead of letting them swirl in your head at 2am.
How to use it:
I'm trying to decide between [option A] and [option B].
Here's my situation: [brief context]
Give me:
1. Pros and cons of each
2. What I'm probably not considering
3. Questions I should answer before deciding
It won’t decide for you (that would be weird), but it organizes your thinking so you can actually decide.
Better version: Decision Matrix Creator — weighted scoring, handles complex multi-factor decisions.
7. The Fixer
What it does: Takes anything you’ve written and makes it better.
Why you need it: Because first drafts are always trash and second drafts require effort.
How to use it:
Make this clearer, tighter, and more engaging.
Keep my voice but fix what's awkward.
Tell me what you changed and why.
[paste your text]
The “tell me what you changed” part is key — it helps you learn what was wrong without having to figure it out yourself.
Better version: Copy Editor — catches issues, suggests improvements, explains reasoning.
The Lazy Setup (5 Minutes, Once)
If you want to be extra lazy (respect), here’s the one-time setup:
Option 1: Custom GPT / Claude Project
- Create a “My Assistant” custom GPT or Claude Project
- Paste all 7 prompts above into the instructions
- Now you can just say “fix this email” or “summarize this” without pasting the prompt each time
Option 2: Text Expander
Use any text expansion app (TextExpander, Raycast, Alfred, etc.) and set up shortcuts:
;email→ expands to the email fixer prompt;summary→ expands to the summarizer prompt;explain→ expands to the explainer prompt
Now you literally type 7 characters and the prompt appears.
Option 3: Just Bookmark This Page
I mean, it’s right here. Scroll up when you need something.
When to Use Each One
| Situation | Skill to Use |
|---|---|
| Need to send an email but it sounds off | Email Fixer |
| Don’t want to read something long | Summarizer |
| Don’t understand something | Explainer |
| Just left a meeting, brain is mush | Meeting Saver |
| Blank page, no words coming | Writer’s Unblocker |
| Overthinking a choice | Decider |
| Wrote something, know it’s not great | Fixer |
Print this. Stick it on your wall. Whatever helps.
What About Everything Else?
These 7 skills cover the essentials. But sometimes you need something specific:
- Need to write code? Check the Claude Code skills
- Need marketing copy? Check the AI Creative skills
- Need data analysis? Check the Data Analytics skills
- Need something weird and specific? Browse all skills — there’s probably one for it
The point isn’t to memorize everything. It’s to know that solutions exist and where to find them.
The Actual Lazy Philosophy
Look, there’s a lot of content out there about “mastering AI” and “becoming a prompt engineer” and “10x your productivity.”
That’s fine for some people. But most of us just want tools that work without a manual.
That’s what these skills are. Pre-written prompts that handle the thinking for you.
You don’t need to understand how the engine works to drive the car. You just need to know which pedal is go and which is stop.
These 7 skills are your pedals. Copy, paste, done.
One Last Thing
The truly lazy move? Let AI tell you when to use AI.
Whenever you’re stuck on something, just ask:
“I need to [describe what you’re trying to do]. What should I ask you to help with this?”
AI will often suggest a better approach than whatever you were going to try.
Now that’s working smart, not hard.
Too lazy to scroll back up? Here are the skills mentioned:
- Professional Email Writer
- Executive Summary Generator
- AI Tutor
- Meeting Notes Action Extractor
- Writer’s Block Buster
- Decision Matrix Creator
- Copy Editor
Or just browse all skills when you need something.