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#Onions and Prompts

I recently came across a genuinely useful idea on Tom's Guide about using an “onion prompt” with AI to organise your schedule when you’re overwhelmed. If you haven’t seen it, I’d strongly recommend reading the original article — it explains the thinking behind the method and the psychological principles that make it effective:

https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/i-use-the-onion-prompt-with-chatgpt-when-im-buried-in-tasks-it-cuts-through-clutter-in-seconds

How I’ve adapted it

I’m using Google Gemini rather than ChatGPT, and I used my task list from Google Keep instead of viewing my desktop. The tools are little different (but not too much), but the central ideas are the same: strip away the layers hiding your real priorities and let AI “peel back” your to-do list until only what truly matters remains.

To make it easier, I copied my Google Keep list into a Google Doc and pasted it into the prompt.

Prompt 1: Prioritising with the “Onion” Method

Here’s the version I’m using (slightly adapted from the Tom’s Guide example):

I feel buried under competing tasks. Here is my to-do list:
"<paste your to-do list>"

Peel back the layers and categorise items into:
• Core (essential progress)
• Important (schedule soon)
• Surface noise (quick admin)
• Remove (close or ignore)

Then identify the top 3 priorities for the next 90 minutes.

Did it work?

Yes, it worked better than I expected.

  • It factored in the realistic 90-minute window I had at the end of the day.

  • It grouped related tasks into coherent activities.

  • It highlighted where I was at risk of “prep panic” before meetings.

  • It clearly identified what could safely be ignored.


Prompt 2: Turning Priorities into Time Blocks

I then followed up with a second prompt:

Taking into account that activities such as “XXXXX Slides & 3x Activities (Due 5/3)” take 1 hour each, identify time blocks to complete all tasks across the week.

This is where it became even more powerful.

It:

  • Split the week into structured blocks.

  • Themed days (e.g., “Meeting Marathon” and “Deep Thinking”).

  • Matched the type of work to appropriate times (lighter admin vs. cognitively demanding tasks).

That alignment between task type and time of day made the plan feel far more realistic and sustainable.


The original article on Tom's Guide  https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/i-use-the-onion-prompt-with-chatgpt-when-im-buried-in-tasks-it-cuts-through-clutter-in-seconds goes into more detail about the psychological theory behind the method — particularly how cognitive overload hides priorities under layers of low-value activity.

If you often feel buried under competing demands, it’s worth trying.

Give the approach a go — and do read the original post https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/i-use-the-onion-prompt-with-chatgpt-when-im-buried-in-tasks-it-cuts-through-clutter-in-seconds for the deeper reasoning behind it


All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with. Twitter @scottturneruon



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