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How to Use Deep Work

How to Use Deep Work Effectively

Updated over 3 months ago

Using Deep Work

Deep Work offers you a few different ways to run your prompts:

  1. Suggested Prompts - these appear below the input bar and are updated frequently to give you customized and relevant suggestions

  2. Agent Templates - these are tailored frameworks that simplify your input requirements and leverage pre-defined paths to generate your output more effectively

  3. Custom Prompts - you have the freedom to run any prompt you would like. See below for some helpful tips for optimizing your output

Step 1: Define Your Objective

Be clear about what you want to accomplish:

  • What decision are you trying to make?

  • What information do you need?

  • Who will use the output?

Step 2: Specify Your Scope

Include relevant parameters:

  • Timeframe: "over the last quarter", "from last week", "in the past month"

  • Data sources: "from Slack and meetings", "across all customer interactions"

  • People/teams: "for the engineering team", "regarding customer SafetyWing"

Step 3: Request Specific Deliverables

Be explicit about the format you need:

  • "Provide a summary with key takeaways"

  • "Create a report I can share with executives"

  • "Generate action items and next steps"

  • "Include metrics and supporting data"

Best Practices for Deep Work Prompts

βœ… Do This

  • Be specific: "Analyze Q3 sales performance" vs "Tell me about sales"

  • Include context: "For our board meeting next week"

  • Set boundaries: "Focus on the top 3 issues"

  • Specify format: "Create a structured report with recommendations"

❌ Avoid This

  • Vague requests: "Tell me what's happening"

  • No timeframe: "Look at our customers"

  • Too broad: "Analyze everything"

  • No clear purpose: "Just curious about..."

Quick Start Examples

Try these prompts to get familiar with Deep Work:

  1. Meeting Summary: "Summarize my meetings from yesterday and highlight any action items assigned to me"

  2. Team Update: "What's happening around my org that I might need to know?"

  3. Customer Insight: "What are the top 3-5 use cases for [customer name] that I should add to our tracker?"

  4. Project Status: "What are my top priority tasks today?"

Troubleshooting

If Your Results Aren't What You Expected

  • Too broad? Add more specific parameters and constraints

  • Missing information? Specify additional data sources or timeframes

  • Wrong format? Be more explicit about the deliverable you need

  • Not actionable? Ask for specific recommendations and next steps

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