Start here

The one habit that makes AI actually useful

Most bad AI answers come from one mistake. Here's the fix, with a before-and-after you can copy.

By Heather Barnett · 4 min read

When women tell me AI "didn't work" for them, it's almost always the same story. They typed a short question, got a generic answer, and closed the tab.

The fix is one habit: talk to AI like a smart new assistant on her first day. She's capable, but she doesn't know you yet. So you tell her three things.

1. Who you are and what's going on

Context is everything. "Write a bio" gets you a bio for nobody. "Write a bio for a nurse of 12 years who's moving into healthcare management" gets you something you can use.

2. What you need

Be specific about the task. An email? A plan? Three options to choose from? Say so.

3. What a good answer looks like

How long should it be? What tone? Who's reading it? What should it avoid? This is the part almost everyone skips, and it's the part that makes the biggest difference.

See the difference

The second prompt takes 30 seconds longer to write and saves you ten minutes of rewriting.

Then keep talking

Here's the part that changes everything: you don't have to get it right the first time. If the answer is close but not quite, just say what to change.

You don't start over. You keep the conversation going, exactly like you would with a person.