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Custom Instructions Library

Transform your raw voice recordings into structured, actionable content with these proven custom instruction templates.

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What Are Custom Instructions?

Custom instructions tell Cleft how to process and format your voice notes. Instead of just transcribing what you said, Cleft can organize, summarize, and structure your content automatically.
Custom instructions are available with Cleft Plus. Upgrade here to unlock AI-powered note processing.

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Essential Templates

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Daily Planning & Review

Use for: Daily morning thought captureCustom Instruction:
Organize this morning brain dump into:

PRIORITIES TODAY:
- [List top 3 urgent/important items]

THOUGHTS & IDEAS:
- [Random thoughts and insights]

CONCERNS & BLOCKERS:
- [Things causing stress or blocking progress]

QUICK WINS:
- [Small tasks that can be completed quickly]

Make the priorities actionable with specific next steps.
Example Input: “I’m feeling overwhelmed today, need to finish the client proposal, call mom about dinner plans, thinking about that new project idea for automation, worried about the budget meeting, also should update my LinkedIn profile…”Example Output:
PRIORITIES TODAY:
- Finish client proposal - review sections 2-3 and send by 3pm
- Prepare for budget meeting - gather Q3 numbers and talking points

THOUGHTS & IDEAS:  
- New project idea for automation workflows
- Update LinkedIn profile with recent achievements

CONCERNS & BLOCKERS:
- Budget meeting preparation causing stress

QUICK WINS:
- Call mom about dinner plans
- LinkedIn profile update (20 minutes)
Use for: Evening reflection and planningCustom Instruction:
Process this end-of-day reflection into:

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- [What was completed today]

LESSONS LEARNED:
- [Insights and key learnings]

TOMORROW'S PRIORITIES:
- [Top 3 items for tomorrow]

FOLLOW-UP NEEDED:
- [Items requiring action from others]

Keep accomplishments specific and make tomorrow's priorities actionable.

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Meeting & Communication

Use for: Converting meeting recordings into structured notesCustom Instruction:
Structure these meeting notes into:

MEETING: [Topic/Title]
ATTENDEES: [Who was present]

KEY DECISIONS:
- [Important decisions made]

ACTION ITEMS:
- [Who] will [do what] by [when]

NEXT STEPS:
- [Follow-up meetings or activities needed]

PARKING LOT:
- [Items mentioned but not resolved]

Make all action items specific with clear owners and deadlines.
Use for: Converting voice thoughts into professional email draftsCustom Instruction:
Convert this voice note into a professional email draft:

Subject: [Suggest clear, specific subject line]

Hi [Name],

[Opening greeting and context]

[Main message organized into clear paragraphs]

[Clear call-to-action or next steps]

[Professional closing]

Keep tone professional but friendly. Make requests specific and actionable.

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Project & Task Management

Use for: Converting project ideas into structured plansCustom Instruction:
Organize this project thinking into:

PROJECT: [Clear project name]

OBJECTIVE:
- [What success looks like]

KEY MILESTONES:
- [Major checkpoints with rough timing]

NEXT ACTIONS:
- [Immediate steps to get started]

RESOURCES NEEDED:
- [People, tools, or budget required]

POTENTIAL OBSTACLES:
- [Risks and mitigation strategies]

Make milestones specific and next actions immediately actionable.
Use for: Converting complex tasks into manageable stepsCustom Instruction:
Break down these tasks into actionable steps:

MAIN TASK: [Overall objective]

STEP-BY-STEP PLAN:
1. [First specific action]
2. [Second specific action]
3. [Continue...]

TIME ESTIMATES:
- [Rough time needed for each step]

DEPENDENCIES:
- [What needs to happen first or who needs to be involved]

Make each step specific enough that you could start immediately.

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Learning & Knowledge Management

Use for: Converting learning sessions into structured knowledgeCustom Instruction:
Organize these learning notes into:

TOPIC: [Main subject]

KEY INSIGHTS:
- [Most important takeaways]

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:
- [How to use this information]

CONNECTIONS:
- [How this relates to other knowledge/projects]

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS:
- [What to explore further]

ACTION ITEMS:
- [Specific things to do based on this learning]

Focus on actionable insights and practical applications.
Use for: Creating structured summaries of content you’ve consumedCustom Instruction:
Create a summary of this content:

SOURCE: [Book/article title and author]

MAIN ARGUMENT:
- [Central thesis or key message]

KEY POINTS:
- [3-5 most important supporting points]

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS:
- [Specific things I can implement]

QUOTES TO REMEMBER:
- [Memorable quotes or insights]

QUESTIONS RAISED:
- [What this makes me think about]

Focus on practical application and personal relevance.

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Industry-Specific Templates

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For Sales Professionals

Custom Instruction:
Process this sales call into:

CLIENT: [Company/Contact name]
DATE: [Call date]

CURRENT SITUATION:
- [Their challenges and needs]

OUR SOLUTION FIT:
- [How we can help]

NEXT STEPS:
- [Specific actions with timeline]

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS:
- [What they need to see]

DECISION TIMELINE:
- [When they're looking to decide]

FOLLOW-UP SCHEDULE:
- [When and how to reconnect]

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For Consultants

Custom Instruction:
Structure this client discovery into:

CLIENT CONTEXT:
- [Industry, size, current situation]

CORE CHALLENGES:
- [Primary problems they're facing]

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
- [How they'll measure success]

STAKEHOLDERS:
- [Key people and their interests]

CONSTRAINTS:
- [Budget, timeline, or resource limitations]

OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT:
- [Our ability to help and potential value]

Next meeting should focus on [specific areas to explore].

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For Researchers

Custom Instruction:
Organize this research session into:

RESEARCH QUESTION: [What I'm investigating]

SOURCES REVIEWED:
- [Papers, articles, or data examined]

KEY FINDINGS:
- [Important discoveries or patterns]

METHODOLOGY NOTES:
- [How research was conducted]

IMPLICATIONS:
- [What this means for the larger question]

NEXT RESEARCH STEPS:
- [What to investigate next]

HYPOTHESIS UPDATES:
- [How thinking has evolved]

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Using Custom Instructions Effectively

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Best Practices

1

Start Simple

Begin with basic templates and customize as you learn what works for your workflow
2

Be Specific

The more specific your instructions, the better the output. Include examples when helpful.
3

Iterate and Improve

Refine your custom instructions based on the results you get
4

Create Templates for Repeated Tasks

If you do something regularly, create a custom instruction template for it

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Customization Tips

Add Your Terminology

Include industry-specific terms or company jargon in your instructions

Specify Format Preferences

Tell Cleft exactly how you want information organized and formatted

Include Context

Add background information that helps with processing your specific situation

Set Output Length

Specify if you want brief summaries or detailed breakdowns

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Creating Your Own Custom Instructions

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Template Structure

PURPOSE: [What this instruction is for]

PROCESSING RULE: [How to organize the content]

FORMAT:
[Specific structure you want]

GUIDELINES:
- [Specific requirements]
- [Quality standards]
- [What to emphasize]

EXAMPLE OUTPUT:
[Show what good output looks like]

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Testing and Refining

  1. Start with a basic version of your custom instruction
  2. Test with real voice notes - try it on actual content
  3. Identify gaps - what’s missing or unclear in the output?
  4. Refine the instruction - add specificity or adjust format
  5. Test again - verify improvements work consistently
  6. Save successful templates - build your library over time

Advanced Formatting

Learn advanced techniques for custom instruction formatting

Prompt Templates

Browse more ready-to-use prompt templates