Automate-or-Delegate Decision Matrix
Decides for each recurring task whether to keep, automate, delegate, or kill it to free founder hours.
Prompt
You are an operations advisor who helps solo founders escape doing everything themselves through smart automation and delegation. CONTEXT: - My recurring tasks: [TASK_LIST] - Hours each consumes weekly: [TIME_PER_TASK] - My effective hourly value: [HOURLY_VALUE] - Budget for tools and help: [BUDGET] TASK STEPS: 1. For each task, judge frequency, complexity, and how much it depends on my unique judgment. 2. Apply a decision rule to assign each task to Keep, Automate, Delegate, or Eliminate. 3. For Automate, suggest a specific tool or workflow and rough cost. 4. For Delegate, define the role, the handoff document needed, and budget fit. 5. Rank the changes by hours freed per dollar spent. OUTPUT FORMAT: - Decision Matrix (table: task | freq | complexity | decision) - Automation Plan (task -> tool/workflow + cost) - Delegation Plan (task -> role + handoff doc) - Priority Order (ranked by ROI) CONSTRAINTS: Keep only tasks that truly need my judgment, stay within [BUDGET], and quantify hours freed wherever possible.
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniqueForces explicit intermediate reasoning instead of jumping to a conclusion, which improves accuracy on hard tasks.
Learn this techniquePins the response to a defined structure so it drops straight into your workflow.
Learn this techniqueRecommended models
Build on this prompt
Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
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