From Messy Idea to AI Prompt in 5 Minutes

Most people open Claude and just... start typing. Whatever's in their head goes straight into the chat. Sometimes it works. Usually it doesn't.

Here's what I do instead:

Step 1 — Write the idea in one sentence. Not a prompt yet. Just what I actually want. No formatting, no instructions.

Step 2 — Add the role. Who should Claude be when answering this? A copywriter? A strategist? A skeptic? One line. That's it.

Step 3 — Add one constraint. What do I not want? Too long, too formal, too generic? Saying what you don't want is often more useful than saying what you do.

Step 4 — Read it out loud. If it sounds weird when you say it, it'll produce a weird answer. Focus on the sentence, not the output. That's the whole process. Four steps, five minutes, and the first response is almost always usable.

What does your prompting process look like?

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From Messy Idea to AI Prompt in 5 Minutes