- “I’m probably wrong, but…”: Weird trick that works. It stops being defensive and starts collaborating. “I’m probably wrong, but I think my boss hates me” gets real analysis, not just reassurance.
- “Connect these dots for me”: Give it random facts and let it find relationships. “Connect these dots: I hate mornings, love puzzles, get energized by deadlines.” It maps your personality in ways you didn’t see.
- “What’s the 80/20 here?”: Cuts through everything to find what actually matters. “What’s the 80/20 of learning guitar?” skips the fluff and gets to core fundamentals.
- “Play devil’s advocate against yourself”: Makes it argue both sides of its own answer. You get the full picture instead of just the obvious take.
- “What story is the data telling?”: Perfect for anything with numbers or patterns. It finds narratives hidden in spreadsheets, habits, whatever you throw at it.
- “Translate this into everyday language”: Even for simple stuff. Takes any jargon-heavy topic and makes it human. “Translate marketing funnels into everyday language” = pure gold.
- “What’s the counterintuitive move here?”: Gets past obvious advice to weird strategies that actually work. “What’s the counterintuitive move for networking?” reveals approaches nobody else uses.
- “What would I regret not knowing?”: This hits different than “what else should I know.” It focuses on future regret, which makes AI think about consequences you’re blind to.
- “Give me v2”: Instead of saying “improve this,” ask for a specific version. “Give me v2” frames it as a fresh take, not a fix — and AI treats it like a revision, not a critique.
19 July 2026 2 min read
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