How to Create Your Own Work Templates with AI

You can use either of these tools on the free plan:

• ChatGPT: go to https://chatgpt.com and sign in or create an account.
• Claude: go to https://claude.ai and sign in or create an account.

The free plan of both tools is enough to create templates. If you plan to generate many per week, consider ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo) or Claude Pro ($20/mo) for more available messages. Confirm the current price on the official page before paying.

Before writing the prompt, answer these three questions:

1. What type of document is it? (project brief, meeting notes, weekly report, delivery email, proposal, checklist…)
2. Who will use or read it? (just you, your team, a client, a manager…)
3. What sections or fields are essential? (dates, owners, budget, next steps…)

The clearer you are on this, the better the template will turn out. You don’t have to have it all perfect; you can request adjustments afterward.

Copy one of these example prompts and adapt it to your case:

Project brief:

Create a project brief template for a design agency. It should include: project name, client, start and delivery date, objective, deliverables, person in charge of each area, budget, and notes. Markdown format, ready to paste into Notion or Google Docs.

Meeting notes:

Create a meeting notes template for a 5-person marketing team. Include: date, attendees, agenda, summary of decisions made, tasks assigned with owner and deadline, and next meeting. Clean Markdown format.

Weekly progress report:

Create a weekly progress report template for a software development project. Include: week of, summary of what was completed, completion percentage, current blockers, plan for next week, and key metrics. In Markdown.

Paste the prompt into the ChatGPT or Claude chat and wait for the response. It usually takes less than 10 seconds.

Once the AI delivers the template, read it in full and request adjustments right in the same chat. Some examples:

• “Add a budget section with a breakdown by category.”
• “Remove the success metrics section, we don’t use it.”
• “Make it shorter so it fits on one page.”
• “Change the language to Spanish.”
• “Use a table instead of a list for the assigned tasks.”

Keep requesting changes until the template reflects exactly how you work. The AI never gets tired of revising, so don’t settle for the first version if something isn’t right.

Copy the AI’s result and paste it where you’ll use it:

• Google Docs: open a new document, paste, and apply heading styles. Then go to File > Make a copy each time you need a fresh version.
• Notion: create a new page and paste the text; convert blocks to toggle, table, or list as you prefer.
• Word / LibreOffice: paste as plain text and apply your usual styles.

To create variations, go back to the same chat (or open a new one) and ask: “Adapt this same template for [new type of project].” You already have the base, each variation is quick.

This is just the beginning. Here are other types of templates you can ask ChatGPT or Claude to create:

• Project brief or business proposal
• Meeting notes or weekly team agenda
• Progress report (weekly, monthly, or per project)
• Client delivery email (check the professional emails with AI tutorial for more ideas)
• Project launch or close checklist
• Onboarding plan for new team members
• Client feedback form
• Services proposal or simple contract
• Social media content calendar

If you want these templates to fill themselves in or be sent automatically, the next step is connecting them to no-code workflows: check the tutorial on how to automate tasks with AI without coding.

Problem	Fix
The template turned out too generic	Give more context: your industry, your team size, and an example of how you normally work
The AI doesn’t understand what type of template you want	Describe it with an example: “like the document I send my client before starting a project”
The response got cut off	Type “continue” in the chat so it finishes the template
The format doesn’t look right when pasting	Paste first into a plain-text editor (Notepad, TextEdit) and then to the final document, or ask for the template in HTML format
The free plan hits a message limit	Switch between ChatGPT and Claude to use both limits, or wait a few hours for them to reset