Summary (LLM Prompt)
You are an expert document analyst and summarizer tasked with creating a comprehensive and highly legible summary of a given document.
Example #1: Founder Mode
Below is the prompt applied to Paul Graham's "Founder Mode".
[... Analysis ...]
The document, written in September 2024, discusses the concept of "founder mode" - a distinct approach to running companies that differs significantly from traditional management methods, sparked by Brian Chesky's influential talk about his experiences at Airbnb.
• **Traditional Management vs. Founder Mode**
- *Manager mode* treats company divisions as "black boxes" with minimal direct involvement
- *Founder mode* involves deeper engagement across organizational levels
> "Hire good people and give them room to do their jobs... what this often turns out to mean is: hire professional fakers and let them drive the company into the ground."
• **Key Characteristics of Founder Mode**
- Breaks traditional CEO-direct report communication boundaries
- Enables cross-hierarchical engagement ("skip-level" meetings)
- Requires more complex and flexible delegation approaches
- Example: Steve Jobs' annual retreats with 100 key people (not necessarily highest-ranking)
• **Current State and Challenges**
- No formal documentation or business school teaching about founder mode
- Founders report feeling "gaslit" when pressured to adopt traditional management styles
- Individual founders currently developing methods through trial and error
- Airbnb's success under Chesky's leadership demonstrates potential effectiveness
• **Future Implications**
- Need for better understanding and documentation of founder mode
- Potential risks of misuse by non-founders or over-controlling founders
- Opportunity for improved company performance once founder mode is better understood
> "Look at what founders have achieved already, and yet they've achieved this against a headwind of bad advice."
• **Key Takeaway**
The document argues for recognizing and developing a distinct "founder mode" of company management, suggesting that traditional management advice often undermines rather than supports company success when applied to founder-led organizations.
Example #2: Rowing vs steering
Below is the prompt applied to Saul Munn's "Rowing vs steering".
[... Analysis ...]
The article presents a decision-making framework based on the metaphor of rowing vs. steering a boat, arguing that alternating between focused execution (*rowing*) and strategic evaluation (*steering*) is more effective than attempting both simultaneously or constantly switching between them.
• **Core Metaphor and Strategy**
- When rowing, one faces backward and must trust their direction while focusing on forward movement
- Three approaches are discussed:
> "You'd be way better off by purely rowing for a bit, then purely steering for a bit, then back and forth again, but it causes anxiety to purely row without steering."
- Optimal strategy involves predetermined periods of focused execution followed by scheduled evaluation
• **Real-World Applications**
- Career Development
- Commit to a position for a set period (e.g., four months) before career evaluation
- Academic Choices
- Focus on current major for one semester before reassessing
- Exercise Routines
- Stick to a workout plan for a month before considering changes
• **Implementation Guidelines**
- Set specific, concrete conditions for mode switching
- Create reliable systems for tracking transition points
- Gather relevant data during execution phases
- Maintain flexibility for unexpected major changes
- Actually implement the strategy rather than just understanding it
• **Key Benefits**
- Reduces anxiety during execution phases
- Prevents energy drain from constant reevaluation
- Enables deeper commitment and potentially better results
- Creates clear boundaries between action and evaluation
• **Important Considerations**
- Requires trust in self-commitment
- Timing of mode switches varies by context
- Systems should work even with low willpower
- Balance needed between structure and flexibility
The framework emphasizes that success comes not just from trying things out, but from committing to focused execution periods while scheduling specific times for strategic evaluation, thereby reducing the cognitive load and anxiety of constant reassessment.
Prompt
You are an expert document analyst and summarizer tasked with creating a comprehensive and highly legible summary of a given document. Your summary should accurately represent the original content while scaling appropriately with its size.
Please follow these steps to create your summary:
1. Carefully read and analyze the document.
2. Conduct a thorough analysis of the document and wrap it in <document_analysis> tags. Include the following elements:
- Extract and list 5-10 key quotes from the document, numbered for easy reference.
- Identify and list the main topics and subtopics, numbered hierarchically.
- Estimate the document length in words and calculate the appropriate summary length based on the guidelines provided.
- Key points and important details
- Significant data or statistics
- Document structure and flow
- Formatting plan for maximum legibility
- Potential challenges in summarizing this document and your solutions
- Target audience considerations (general readers seeking a comprehensive overview)
- Strategies for ensuring conciseness without losing important information
3. Create a comprehensive summary using these guidelines:
a. Begin with a high-level overview of the entire document in 1-2 sentences.
b. Use bullet points to break down the main topics and subtopics. Employ nested bullet points for hierarchical information.
c. Provide brief explanations or supporting details for each main point.
d. Include important quotes from the original text, using quotation marks and attributing the source if necessary.
e. Highlight significant data, statistics, or figures mentioned in the document.
f. Note any major conclusions, recommendations, or calls to action from the original text.
4. Apply these formatting guidelines to enhance legibility:
- Use bullet points (•) for main topics and dashes (-) for subtopics or supporting details.
- Bold the main topics for emphasis.
- Italicize important terms or concepts when first introduced.
- Use block quotes for longer, significant passages from the original text.
Example:
• **Main Topic 1**
- Subtopic 1a: Explanation and details
- Subtopic 1b: "*Important term*" and its significance
• **Main Topic 2**
> "Significant quote from the document" (Source if applicable)
5. Adjust the summary length based on the original document's size:
- Short texts (under 1000 words): Summary should be 25-30% of the original length
- Medium-length texts (1000-5000 words): Summary should be 20-25% of the original length
- Long texts (over 5000 words): Summary should be 15-20% of the original length
6. Present your final summary in the following format:
<summary>
[High-level overview]
[Main topics and subtopics with explanations and supporting details]
[Important quotes and data]
[Conclusions or key takeaways]
</summary>
7. After completing your summary, review it to ensure:
- All main points from the original document are covered
- The summary length is appropriate for the original document's size
- Formatting guidelines have been followed consistently
- The summary is comprehensive yet concise and highly legible
Remember, your goal is to create a summary that accurately represents the original document's content and size while maintaining extreme legibility and comprehensiveness. Prioritize the most important information to ensure conciseness without losing crucial details.
Here is the document you need to summarize: