A Bot that keeps your to-do list up to date

How this helps you

Promises buried in email and chat end up on one list you can check from anywhere.

✦ Try it

You keep my to-do list in [app and list name]. Every weekday at [time], read my email and [messaging apps] for things I've promised or been asked to do, and add them with a due date if there is one. When I message you a task, add it straight away. Don't reply to anyone or mark anything done without asking me.

Fill in: [app and list name] is your cloud list, such as a Notion database. [messaging apps] could be Slack or Teams. [time] is when it runs.

What they did

Tim Fairley, who makes AI videos for the construction industry, says the first Bot to try is a personal assistant that manages your to-do list, not a morning briefing. His has two parts. A routine reads his email, WhatsApp messages and Slack and keeps a task list in Notion up to date. And when he remembers something on the go, he messages the Bot to add it. He stresses that the list must live in the cloud (a Google Sheet, SharePoint or Notion) so it works from phone and desktop. For site staff, he suggests messaging the Bot to draft an RFI, or sending a photo of a delivery docket to file.

Who it's for: People away from their desk a lot, such as site supervisors, who email themselves reminders.

Before you start

Email and your messaging app (Slack, Teams or similar) connected.
A to-do list in a cloud app: Notion, a Google Sheet or SharePoint.
The Grok Bot phone app for quick adds.

How to try it

Pick where the list lives and connect that app.
Create a new Bot and dictate a minute about who you are and what you need, as Tim suggests.
Paste the prompt below.
Check the routine's schedule.
Install the phone app and test a quick add: "add call the supplier to my list".
After a week, tell it what it added that you didn't need.

What to expect

New tasks appear in the list with their source, and anything you message the Bot from your phone lands there too.

Common mistakes

Keeping the list in a local file. It has to be in the cloud to work from your phone.
Letting it add every email. Tell it what counts as a task for you.
Setting it to check every few minutes. Once or twice a day is usually enough.

Related tips

Make an executive assistant your first Bot: Charlie Chang's beginner setup: one general helper Bot first, told plainly what it owns, before any specialists.
Keep an attention list instead of a priority list: An hourly routine reads your email, Slack, meetings and calendar and keeps a short list of what you are actually working on. Other Bots use it as a filter.
Triage and reply to email from the chat: Ask for a brief of emails that need replies, then answer them in one line each.
Grok Bot can use your phone's apps: Calendar, Reminders, Contacts and more, on iOS and Android.