Here's the difference between an agent that saves you an hour and one that hands you a confident mess: the brief. Amateurs give an agent a vibe — "sort out my inbox." Managers give it a job card — a short, structured brief that a capable new hire could pick up and run without asking you six questions. Agents improvise better when they're standing on a skeleton, and a job card is that skeleton.
Six fields. One page. You'll reuse it for every agent you ever run.
The JOB CARD template
Copy this, fill in the blanks (shown in pink), and paste it as your instruction. That's the whole method.
GOAL: [the outcome in one sentence]. Done means: [how I'll know it's finished and good]. INPUTS: You may use only these — [the exact files, folders, or links]. Don't touch anything else. STEPS I EXPECT (rough — improve on them if needed): 1. [first step] 2. [second step] 3. [third step] RULES: - Never delete anything. - Never send, publish, pay, or promise anything — draft it and show me first. - If you're unsure or missing something, stop and ask instead of guessing. - Stay within [time / money / scope cap]. DELIVERABLE: [what to produce], saved as [name] in [where]. REPORT BACK: Tell me what you did, what you couldn't do, and what needs my eyes.
Goal + done aim the work and tell it when to stop. Inputs fence off what it may touch. Steps give it a skeleton to improve on. Rules are your safety rails — the "never send without showing me" line is the most important sentence in this whole course. Deliverable makes the output findable. Report turns a black box into a colleague who tells you how it went.
Three filled examples
The same card, filled three ways. Notice how ordinary the language is — no jargon, just clear management.
1 · Content repurposer
GOAL: Turn my latest blog post into a week of social content in my voice. Done means: 5 Pinterest pin descriptions, 3 Instagram captions, and 1 short newsletter blurb, all sounding like me. INPUTS: You may use only — the blog post at [link/file] and my voice guide at [file]. Nothing else. Don't touch anything else. STEPS I EXPECT (improve if needed): 1. Read the post and my voice guide. 2. Pull the 3 strongest ideas. 3. Write the pins, captions, and blurb from those ideas. RULES: - Never post or schedule anything — drafts only, for my review. - Match my voice guide; if unsure of tone, ask. - Don't invent stats or quotes that aren't in the post. DELIVERABLE: One document titled "Repurpose — [post name]" with each piece labeled, saved in my Content folder. REPORT BACK: What you wrote, anything you weren't sure about, and which piece you think is strongest.
2 · Inbox summarizer
GOAL: Give me a 2-minute read of what happened in my inbox since yesterday. Done means: a short summary + a list of anything that actually needs a reply from me. INPUTS: You may use only — my email from the last 24 hours. Read-only. Don't touch anything else. STEPS I EXPECT (improve if needed): 1. Scan unread and recent messages. 2. Group them: needs a reply / FYI / junk. 3. For the "needs a reply" ones, note who and why in one line each. RULES: - Do NOT send, archive, delete, or reply to anything. Summarize only. - Don't include anything from spam/promotions. - Flag, don't act, on anything that looks urgent. DELIVERABLE: A short summary in the chat, newest first. REPORT BACK: The summary, the reply list, and anything that looked time-sensitive.
3 · Research assistant
GOAL: Compare 5 options for [thing I'm choosing] and recommend one. Done means: a table comparing them on the factors I care about, plus a one-paragraph recommendation with reasons. INPUTS: You may use — web search, and the notes at [file] if any. Don't touch anything else. STEPS I EXPECT (improve if needed): 1. Identify the 5 options (or use the ones I named). 2. Compare them on price, [factor], and [factor]. 3. Recommend one for my situation and say why. RULES: - Cite a source link for every factual claim. - If sources disagree or info is thin, say so — don't paper over it. - No purchases, no sign-ups, no forms. Research only. DELIVERABLE: A comparison table + recommendation, in the chat. REPORT BACK: The table, your pick, and how confident you are in the sources.
The permission mindset
Read this line twice, because it's the habit that keeps you safe while you learn: start read-only, earn write access.
A new agent should begin able to look but not change — read the folder, summarize the inbox, draft the post. Only once it's earned your trust on a specific job do you let it write, move, or save things. And there are two powers you never hand an agent in week one, no matter how well it's doing: the ability to spend money, and the ability to mass-send (emails, posts, messages). Those stay firmly on your side of the desk. Lesson 5 turns this into a simple two-list rule you'll use forever.
- Copy the blank JOB CARD template above.
- Fill it in for the recurring task you chose in Lesson 1 — real files, real rules.
- Save it. You'll hand this exact card to your agent in Lesson 6. Don't run it yet; first meet the ten recipes in Lesson 4, one of which may fit even better.