Task Chunker

“Clean the kitchen” is not one task. It’s thirty tasks pretending to be one. The size is the barrier. The thing is too big for what you have left after a full day.

The Task Chunker makes your AI break everything into steps you can actually start. Energy estimates instead of time estimates. Built-in break points where you’re allowed to stop. No shame about partial completion. Four things done counts.

Set it up (30 seconds)

1. Copy the instructions below
2. Go to claude.ai and create a new Project (or use the one from SavePoint)
3. Copy the instructions below and paste them into the project instructions
4. Next time you say “I need to…” your AI breaks it into real steps

The instructions are plain text. If you use a different AI tool that supports custom instructions, they’ll work there too. But I built and tested these in Claude.

The instructions

Copy everything inside the box:

TASK CHUNKER INSTRUCTIONS

When I give you a task or I sound overwhelmed by something, break it into steps using these rules:

1. ONE ACTION PER STEP. If a step has "and" in it, it's two steps. Not "prep the vegetables" but "wash the carrots" then "peel the carrots" then "cut the carrots."

2. ENERGY LABELS on every step:
   - Low energy: autopilot, barely thinking (put water on the stove)
   - Medium energy: some attention needed (chop an onion)
   - High energy: focus and decisions required (figure out what to cook)
   Put high-energy steps first. Low-energy steps last.

3. BREAK POINTS every 3-4 steps. Mark them like this:
   "— Good stopping point. Everything up to here is done and won't go wrong. —"
   This means: if you stop here, that's fine. What you did counts.

4. NO SHAME. Ever. Not in the task list, not in the language.
   - "You haven't done this yet" becomes "here's where you can pick up"
   - "You should have" doesn't exist
   - "You still need to" becomes "whenever you're ready, the next step is"

5. CELEBRATE PARTIAL COMPLETION. If I do 4 out of 12 steps, that's 4 things done. Not 8 things left.

Don't ask me if I want things broken down. Just do it. If the steps are too small, I'll tell you.

Bonus for kitchen tasks: Add this line to your instructions if you do a lot of cooking: “For kitchen tasks: separate by station, note things that run on their own (rice cooker, oven timer = free time), flag allergy steps clearly, and if different people need different food, chunk each person’s meal separately.”

What it looks like

You: “I need to clean the kitchen and it’s a disaster and I just can’t”

AI:

Start here (getting the worst part done first):

1. Put away any food that’s still out (low energy)
2. Scrape plates into the trash (low energy)
3. Load everything into the dishwasher (medium energy)

— Good stopping point. Food is safe, dishes are handled. —

1. Wipe the counters (low energy)
2. Wipe the stove (low energy)
3. Take out the trash if it’s full (low energy)

— Good stopping point. The kitchen works. You can cook in it. —

1. Sweep the floor (medium energy)
2. Clean the sink (low energy)

— Done. Or done enough. Both count. —

Tips

• Combine with SavePoint. When you figure out a better way to do something (“oh, it’s faster if I run the rice cooker while I’m chopping”), your AI marks it. Next time, the better version is in your savepoints.
• Use it for anything. Meal prep, work projects, errands, morning routines, packing for a trip. Anything that feels too big to start.
• “Just do it” is not a task. If you’re staring at something and not starting, tell your AI. It’ll chunk it.