The section summarised.
THE THREE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST
- Context: the model knows nothing about your situation
- Specificity: who, what for, how long, what format
- Iteration: the first output is a draft
THE STRUCTURE OF A GOOD PROMPT
Task, context, audience, format, constraints, material.
WHAT TO ALWAYS INCLUDE
Who reads this How long it should be What to avoid
WHAT PRODUCES BETTER OUTPUT
An example of what you want Asking for reasoning before the answer Asking for three options rather than one Asking explicitly for criticism
WHAT TO ASK FOR CRITICISM
"What are the three weakest points?" not "what do you think?"
WHAT TO SPLIT
Anything containing "and". One task per prompt.
WHAT TO SAVE
Prompts that worked, and a style brief you paste into every writing request.
That is the highest-return habit available.
WHAT TO CONSTRAIN
Preamble, summaries, hedging, and the phrases you dislike.
THE UNDERLYING SKILL
Briefing clearly. The same skill as instructing a capable assistant who has never met you.
