You do not need to be technical to follow this guide. You need a free account with one of the major assistants, a real task you want to get done, and about twenty minutes.
Start with a task you already understand well. That way you can tell quickly whether the AI is helping or just producing confident-sounding text.
Step 1: Set a clear goal
Keep anything sensitive out of your prompts unless you have checked the privacy settings of the tool, and your organisation allows it.
- A free or paid account with one assistant
- A real task, not a test question
- A source you trust to check facts
- Twenty minutes without interruptions
- A place to save prompts that work
What you need
Save prompts that work well. Over time you will build a small library you can reuse, which is where most of the time savings come from.
- Describe the goal in one sentence
- Add context: audience, format and length
- Ask for a first draft
- Check facts and tone
- Ask for specific changes
- Save the prompt for next time
