Small habits, on paper or on screen

Keep a useful check beside you.

Three one-page task cards. Download a PDF, print this page, or use the same steps here.

These are practical reminders, not a guarantee that an answer is correct. Keep the original information nearby and ask a suitable person when the consequences matter.

Print-and-keep · 2026-10-26

Before you send that reply

Keep the original notes beside the draft. Check what it says before you send it.

Match names and numbers
Read names, amounts, quantities, and contact details against the original. Correct changed or invented details.
Check dates and promises
Confirm dates, times, deadlines, and commitments. An update date is not a promised completion date.
Trace the claims
Find support for each factual claim in your notes or a current, reliable source. Open and check any cited source.
Leave missing facts open
If the source does not say, ask or leave a clear blank. Do not turn an unknown into a confident answer.
Read as the recipient
Check the tone, request, and next step. Remove unnecessary private details and promises you cannot make.
Make the sending decision
You decide whether the reply is ready. Get the appropriate person's review when the consequences call for it.

One thing I corrected, or still need to confirm:

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Practice a reply without changing the facts →

Print-and-keep · 2026-10-26

Before you paste information

Choose a small, permitted sample. A useful experiment does not need someone else's private details.

Name the purpose
What one task needs help? Send only the information necessary for that task, if you are allowed to share it.
Prefer fictional practice
Use made-up names, numbers, and situations while learning. Check that the example contains no real private details.
Remove sensitive material
Keep passwords, account numbers, personal records, and confidential work out. Removing a name alone may not remove identifying details.
Check the destination
Know which app or service will receive the text, what it keeps, and which account you are using. Check its current settings and rules.
Check permission and limits
Follow your workplace or organization's rules. If sharing is uncertain, stop and ask an appropriate person before pasting.
Keep a way to verify
Keep the original source unchanged. Plan how you will check the result without sending more private information.

My fictional sample, or the permission I still need to check:

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Practice the safe-to-paste check →

Print-and-keep · 2026-10-26

One small task this week

Pick a short, checkable experiment. A calculator, template, or human may be the better tool.

Choose one small job
Try a draft, summary, or plan using fictional notes. Write what a useful result would include and what it must not invent.
Choose the tool
Use a calculator for exact arithmetic, a spreadsheet for repeatable tables, or a template for a familiar task. AI is optional.
Set the facts and limits
Keep your source notes. Supply the task, known facts, limits, and answer format. Mark missing details instead of guessing.
Set a stopping point
Use an app you already have. Choose a short time limit and stop if the task needs private data, payment, extra access, or an unchecked assumption.
Check the result
Compare names, numbers, dates, and claims with the source. Check what is missing. Fluent wording is not evidence that an answer is correct.
Keep, adapt, or skip
Record what helped and what did not. Decide whether to use the result, revise the approach, or do the task another way.

My task, check, and stopping point:

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Try your first useful prompt →

Try the habit.

Spot a planted mistake, choose an approach for six fictional tasks, or repair a practice prompt.