When this helps: You wrote something but it’s way too long. Need to cut it down fast without losing the point. Brain fog made you ramble.

One-Tap Reset (If You’re Foggy)

I'm foggy. Please slow down, 3 bullets, plain words.

Real Example (Before → After)

What you wrote:

Hi team, I wanted to reach out and let everyone know that I won’t be able to make it to tomorrow’s meeting because I have a doctor’s appointment that I scheduled a while ago and unfortunately can’t reschedule at this point. I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. If there’s anything important discussed, please feel free to send me a summary or let me know if there’s anything I need to follow up on. Thanks so much for understanding!

What you get with shorter:

Hi team, I can’t attend tomorrow’s meeting due to a doctor’s appointment. Please share any action items. Thanks!

The Prompt (Copy This)

Make this shorter while keeping the main point. Cut filler words and get straight to what matters:

[PASTE YOUR TOO-LONG TEXT HERE]

Voice-First Cue (For Dictation)

Say this into your phone or computer:

“Make this shorter keep main point” (then paste your text)

What AI Will Give You

After you paste your text, the AI will:

  1. Remove filler words (“I wanted to reach out” → direct statement)
  2. Cut unnecessary apologies (“I apologize for…” → deleted if not needed)
  3. Combine redundant points (three sentences saying same thing → one sentence)
  4. Keep essential information (main point, action needed, deadline)

Typical response time: 5-15 seconds

Variations for Different Situations

For Email (Word Count Limit)

Shorten this email to under [X] words. Keep key points and action items:

[PASTE EMAIL]

For Social Media (Character Limit)

Shorten to [280] characters for Twitter/[X characters] for [platform]. Keep the main point:

[PASTE POST]

For Professional Communication

Make this more concise but keep it professional:

[PASTE TEXT]

For Casual Messages

Shorten this to 2 sentences max. Keep it friendly:

[PASTE MESSAGE]

Pro Tips

For aggressive cutting: Add: “Maximum [X] words. Be ruthless.”

To keep specific parts: Add: “Keep the part about [THING] but cut everything else”

For tone preservation: Add: “Shorter but keep the [warm/direct/friendly] tone”

For bullets instead: Add: “Turn this into 3 bullets instead of paragraphs”

Quick Reference

If your text is… Use this variation
Email (too long) “Shorten to under [X] words. Keep key points and actions.”
Social media “Shorten to [X] characters for [platform]. Keep main point.”
Professional “More concise but keep professional tone”
Casual message “Shorten to 2 sentences max. Keep friendly.”
Explanation “Give me the 1-sentence version”

Why This Works

The “shorter” trigger:

  • AI recognizes instruction to compress, not rewrite
  • Identifies and removes filler automatically
  • Preserves core meaning and tone
  • Focuses on information density

The psychology:

  • Brain fog causes over-explaining (can’t tell if you said it already)
  • Shorter text reduces reader’s cognitive load too
  • Concise communication feels more confident
  • Removes “am I annoying them with length?” anxiety

Works across all AI platforms:

  • ChatGPT (free or paid)
  • Claude (free or paid)
  • Microsoft Copilot
  • Google Gemini

Complete Writing Toolkit

Stop over-explaining on foggy days. Get 5 Essential Prompts for MS Brain Fog - includes shorter, fix, rewrite simple, and prompts for clarity and quick communication.

Troubleshooting

“It cut too much - lost important details”

  • Add: “Shorter but keep all deadlines, names, and specific requests”
  • Or: “Cut filler only. Keep all key facts.”

“It lost my personality/tone”

  • Add: “Shorter but keep the casual/warm/friendly tone”
  • Or: “Cut words, not personality”

“I need it even shorter”

  • Add: “Maximum [X] words - be ruthless”
  • Or: “Give me ONLY the core message in one sentence”

“It’s too abrupt now”

  • Add: “Shorter but not rude. Keep one pleasantry.”
  • Or: “Add ’thanks’ or similar at the end to soften”

Next Steps

Just learned shorter? Try these next:

  1. The fix Prompt for Writing Errors - Clean up while you shorten
  2. The rewrite simple Prompt for Brain Fog Days - Simplify complex text
  3. The TL;DR Prompt for Long Emails - Understand what you received

Want more concise writing prompts?

  • “What’s the headline version of this?”
  • “Turn this into 3 bullet points”
  • “Remove all adjectives and see what’s left”

See the full library at /prompts/

Note: Shorter is usually better, but context matters. For emotional or sensitive topics, sometimes length shows care. Use judgment.

Part of the MS & AI resource library. Built by someone who gets it, for people who need systems that work on hard days.