Free download
A free, downloadable plain-text instruction file for an AI assistant. It helps you work through a layoff in order, beginning with what needs attention now rather than a giant job-search checklist.
Download the skillThree steps
It’s plain text. No account, no signup, no ceremony.
Use your assistant’s documented way to add instructions. If it has no such option, paste the file into a new conversation.
Say “I was just laid off. Start with tea.” If it gets to be too much, say “I’m overwhelmed” and it will hand you exactly one 15-minute task.
Illustrative example
Starting request
I was just laid off. Start with tea.
Illustrative response, derived from the skill
Before we plan the job search, choose one small task already in reach: make tea, drink water, or take a short walk. When you’ve done that, tell me whether there’s a deadline you need to handle this week.
The exact wording depends on the assistant and your situation. The file is guidance for a conversation; it does not provide benefits, legal, medical, mental-health, or employment advice.
Why this exists
I built this for myself after my second layoff, then wrote up the whole process in When in crisis, make tea.
It’s free because the point isn’t the download. It’s that the next chance to work together starts with something useful, not a cold ask.
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I write about building AI systems in public—what worked, what broke, and what I’d do differently.
