# everyday work

choose a task with an output you can inspect. the examples here use supplied
material and hypothetical situations. file editing and app access depend on
the tools available in your chosen product.

## research a question

start with the decision the research will support. for a reading group, that
might be choosing a venue within a stated travel radius and budget. ask for
sources beside the opening hours, booking requirements, and prices. have the
agent mark missing or conflicting information.

open the sources for the details that could change your decision. check their
dates and whether they describe the exact location. a neat comparison table
can still contain a wrong price or an unsupported assumption.

## work with a document

supply a copy of a short document and describe the intended reader. ask for a
draft with proposed changes and unresolved questions. preserve names, dates,
and decisions you already supplied.

```text
prepare a clearer draft of these reading group notes for a new member.
keep the agreed weekend meeting and free attendance.
leave the missing date and location as visible questions.
show me the draft before changing the original.
```

compare the draft with the original. check that a clearer sentence has kept
the same meaning. keep the original until you accept the changes.

## turn notes into a plan

supply the work, constraints, and decisions already made. ask for a short plan
that separates next actions from questions. for this example, comparing two
dates is an action; selecting a date while availability is unknown is a decision
still waiting for information.

review whether the plan fits the time available. remove tasks that do little
for the goal. put the accepted next actions somewhere you will actually see
them again.

## prepare administrative work

ask for a draft message, a checklist, or a comparison before asking an agent
to act through an account. state who the work is for and what it may change.
review recipients, amounts, dates, attachments, and commitments before sending
or submitting anything.

for a recurring job, begin with the same task done once. the
[personal infrastructure guide](/handbook/personal-infrastructure/) explains
how to keep its inputs and results discoverable and check a scheduled run.

## decide whether it helped

open the actual output and use it for the original task. record what you had
to correct and what information was missing. a shorter next attempt with better
inputs may be more useful than a larger workflow.