Most data work time goes to the unglamorous middle — the setup, the second draft, the review. The right prompt quietly takes that part off your plate.
Cut before you polish
Write down what you never want as explicitly as what you do. The exclusions often do more work than the instructions.
- Have the model flag what it could not cover
- Ask for three angles, then cut to the one worth shipping
- Save the prompt that worked so the next person reuses it
Start with the smallest version
Ask for the reasoning, then the result. When the model shows its steps you can see exactly where to push back.
- Keep one ask per prompt — chaining beats cramming
- Compare two outputs instead of trusting one
- Name the audience and the single goal before you generate
Write down what you never want as explicitly as what you do. The exclusions often do more work than the instructions.