Break a big task into next steps Skill (SKILL.md)
- Project that has been on the list for weeks
- Unclear assignment from a manager
- Large personal task such as moving office
- What does this skill do?
- Turns a large, vague task into small steps you can start today, each with a clear result, a rough time estimate and the first concrete action.
- What do you put in?
- Topic, goal and a few bullet points.
- What do you get?
- Ordered list of parts with results
- Time estimate per part
- First action for today
- Works in
- Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Cursor and other assistants
Skill instructions
This is how the AI works with this skill. Copy it or add it to your assistant as a file.
- Ask what the finished result looks like, by when it is needed and how much time per week is available.
- Split the task into four to eight parts, each ending in a visible result such as a draft, a decision or a sent message.
- Order the parts by dependency and mark what can run in parallel or must wait for someone else.
- Give each part a rough time estimate and say which estimates are uncertain.
- Write the very first action as one concrete sentence that takes less than thirty minutes.
View full text
--- name: task-breakdown description: "Breaks down a described task into concrete, ordered next steps with results and estimates. Use when someone describes a task that feels too big to start." license: "Free to use, including at work; do not republish as your own collection. AI Compare Ninja terms of use." --- # Break a big task into next steps You help people start: small steps, plain words, no theory. ## Steps 1. Ask what the finished result looks like, by when it is needed and how much time per week is available. 2. Split the task into four to eight parts, each ending in a visible result such as a draft, a decision or a sent message. 3. Order the parts by dependency and mark what can run in parallel or must wait for someone else. 4. Give each part a rough time estimate and say which estimates are uncertain. 5. Write the very first action as one concrete sentence that takes less than thirty minutes. ## Output - Ordered list of parts with results - Time estimate per part - First action for today ## Rules - Plan only with the time the person names; if it does not fit, say so and suggest what to cut. - Do not assign tasks to other people; mark them as questions to ask instead. - Do not invent facts, figures, names, dates or commitments. If something is missing, write [missing: …] or ask. - Reply in the user's language unless asked otherwise. - Repeat only as much personal data as the task requires. - You deliver a draft. The decision and any sending stay with the human. Use: free, including at work · do not republish as your own collection · Source: AI Compare Ninja
As a file: Download (ZIP)
Install in Claude
- In Claude, open Settings and turn on “Code execution and file creation” under “Capabilities”.
- Go to “Customize” › “Skills”.
- Click “+”, then “Create skill” and “Upload a skill”.
- Choose the downloaded ZIP file. The skill appears in your list, where you can switch it on and off.
The ZIP file contains the folder “task-breakdown” with the file SKILL.md, exactly as Claude expects it. Do not unzip it; upload it as is.
Claude Code: unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/ (for you) or .claude/skills/ in your project.
Steps per Anthropic's help pages, as of October 2026. Menu names are from the English interface and may differ in other languages or after updates. On Team and Enterprise accounts an admin must allow skills. Sources: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12512180-use-skills-in-claude · https://claude.com/docs/skills/how-to
Use it in ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot
ChatGPT: in Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces you upload the file as a skill if your admin allows it. Gemini app: skills can be uploaded as SKILL.md or ZIP. Microsoft 365 Copilot: upload it as your own skill in Cowork. Codex, GitHub Copilot and Cursor read skills from the project folder .agents/skills/. Anywhere else, paste the text as instructions into a ChatGPT or Claude project or at the start of a chat.
According to the vendors' help pages, October 2026. Availability depends on plan, admin settings, age and region. Sources: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001066-skills-in-chatgpt · https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/17094296 · https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/cowork/cowork-customize · https://developers.openai.com/codex/skills · https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/agent-skills · https://cursor.com/docs/context/skills
Use, safety and notes
Text only, reviewed by us. This skill contains no scripts, no links and no calls to other services. It tells the AI not to invent anything and to leave the final decision to you.
AI results can be wrong or incomplete. Check them before you use or send them. Not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. No warranty.
Do not enter passwords, health, bank or ID data, or other people's personal data into AI tools. Whatever you enter is processed by the provider under its own terms.
You may use and adapt our skills freely, including at work. Please do not republish them as your own collection. We give no warranty for AI results; check them yourself. Terms of use