What you need and when it counts as done. Who you are. And: ask me questions first. That third line makes the AI do the asking, so you stop guessing what to type. Copy the template, then the 5 filled-in examples below it.
You sit down to ask AI something that matters. A Medicare choice. A lease. A contract with a clause you don't understand. And you type "which Medicare plan is best?" and get a generic article. Or you type for 15 minutes and still leave out the one detail that changes the answer.
Both fail for the same reason: the AI doesn't know what "done" looks like for you, it doesn't know your situation, and it fills the gaps by guessing.
The fix is 3 lines. The same 3 every time. The last one hands the guessing back to the AI, where it belongs.
Fill the brackets in plain English, the way you'd say it across a kitchen table. If there's a document (a lease, a contract, a letter), paste it under the 3 lines.
I need [what you need], and I'll consider it done once [what finished looks like]. I am [who you are and your situation]. Before you answer, ask me any clarifying questions you need.
The fear that keeps people from using AI for anything real is "what if I don't say enough?" Line 3 takes that job away from you. You say what you know. The AI figures out what's missing and asks.
Each one is the 3 lines, filled in. Swap the orange parts for your own facts. If a bracket doesn't apply to you, delete it, the AI will ask if it needs it.
Original Medicare plus a supplement, or Medicare Advantage? Get the comparison for your body and your budget before the enrollment window closes.
I need help choosing between Original Medicare with a supplement plan and a Medicare Advantage plan, and I'll consider it done once I have a side-by-side of what each would cost me in a normal year and in a bad year, plus the 3 questions I should ask before I enroll. I am [64], turning 65 in [March], living in [San Jose, California]. I see [a cardiologist and my regular doctor] and take [2 prescriptions]. I travel to see family [twice a year, out of state]. I can spend about [$250] a month on premiums. Before you answer, ask me any clarifying questions you need.
Know what you're signing before you sign it, and what to ask the landlord to change.
I need to understand this lease before I sign it, and I'll consider it done once you've told me in plain English what I'm agreeing to, which parts could cost me money later, and what I should ask the landlord to change. I am renting [a 1-bedroom apartment in Oakland, California] for [$2,400] a month. This is my first lease in [12 years]. I have [a small dog] and I plan to stay [at least 2 years]. Before you answer, ask me any clarifying questions you need. Here is the lease: [paste the lease text, or attach the PDF]
What you're promising, what they're promising, and how either side gets out. In words you'd say out loud.
I need to understand this [client agreement] before I sign it, and I'll consider it done once I know what I'm promising, what they're promising, how either side can end it, and which 2 or 3 things I should push back on. I am [a solo bookkeeper in California] and this is [a new client I've never worked with]. The contract is for [$1,500 a month for 12 months]. The part I'm unsure about is [the cancellation section]. Before you answer, ask me any clarifying questions you need. Here is the contract: [paste the contract text, or attach the PDF]
The one you've rewritten 4 times and still haven't sent. Say what you need and keep the relationship.
I need to write an email to [my brother about splitting the cost of Mom's care], and I'll consider it done once it says what I need, keeps the relationship intact, and fits in 150 words. I am [the sibling who lives closest and has been covering most of it for a year]. We [haven't talked about money in years and it gets tense fast]. What I want is [a fair split, in writing, by the end of the month]. Before you answer, ask me any clarifying questions you need.
Understand the number on your lab report before the appointment, and walk in with the questions written down. Ask it to explain, never to diagnose.
I need to understand what [a fasting glucose of 108] means and what my doctor might say about it, and I'll consider it done once I can explain the number in plain English and have a short list of questions to bring to my appointment. Explain it to me, do not diagnose me. I am [58], [female], with [no other diagnoses], taking [no medications]. My appointment is [next Tuesday] and my doctor tends to [rush through the visit]. Before you answer, ask me any clarifying questions you need.
"Explain it to me, do not diagnose me." AI is good at turning a lab number into plain English and building your list of questions. Deciding what the number means for you is your doctor's job. Keep that line in, and take the questions with you.
The AI comes back with 4 or 5 questions. This part takes 2 minutes if you treat it like a form instead of a conversation.
Tap the microphone in the Claude or ChatGPT app and say the 3 lines out loud, the way you'd explain it to a friend across the table. Then say your answers to its questions the same way. If typing is what has kept you away from AI, this removes the reason.
Sometimes the AI skips the questions and answers anyway. Sometimes it asks 12. Both have a 1-line fix.
Stop. You skipped the questions. Before you answer, list every question you would need answered to do this well, numbered, and wait for my answers.
That's the whole method. 3 lines, answer the questions, take the plan to the appointment. Save this page and come back for the examples the next time something that matters lands on your desk.