How to ask: the everyday formula

AI assistant for everyday tasks · Lesson 2 / 20

The everyday formula

There are elaborate prompt frameworks for work. At home it's simpler — three things you already know but usually don't say out loud.

The three pillars

What I have. Ingredients, money, time, equipment, limits. "40 minutes", "under $50", "only an oven".
Who it's for. Kids, guests, my boss, myself. "A 7-year-old", "my mother-in-law", "for work".
What I want out. A list, a plan, a message, three options, a table.

That's it. No "you are a world-class expert". Those three pillars cover 90% of everyday tasks.

Compare

How do I entertain a child

There are many options: board games, drawing, reading, going for a walk… (a list from any article)

How do I keep my 6-year-old son busy at home for 2 hours in the rain. We have paper, paints and building blocks. I'm working at the same time, so he needs to play on his own. Give me 5 ideas as a list.

1) "City in a box" — blocks plus paper, he builds and draws the shop signs; no input needed from you… 5) An audiobook plus drawing what he hears.

The difference is three details: age, what's in the house, "he needs to play alone". Ten extra seconds, and the answer became usable.

The "options, not an answer" move

At home it's almost always better to ask for several options: "3 ideas", "5 dinner options", "two ways". Your brain finds it far easier to pick from a list than to judge a single suggestion. And you immediately see which direction to push.

Insight. "What I have + who it's for + what I want out" is worth memorising. It works for dinner, for holidays and for a note to the teacher.

Common mistake. Not stating your limits — then getting a two-hour recipe when you have twenty minutes.

Pro tip. Don't like the answer? Don't rewrite the question. Just say "too long", "the kids won't eat that", "cheaper". The assistant remembers and adjusts.

Cheat sheet

Formula: what I have + who it's for + what I want out.
Ask for several options, not one answer.
Limits (time, money) save you edits.
Not right? Refine in the conversation.

1. What makes up the everyday formula?

2. Why ask for several options at home?

3. The answer missed the mark. What now?

Task — checked by AI

Take a real everyday task from today (dinner, errands, a purchase, a message) and build a request using the formula: what I have + who it's for + what I want out. Paste your request and the assistant's answer.

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🔒 Answer the question correctly to move on to the next lesson.