Asking Better Questions About Your Own Assumptions
Ask what matters before you commit
prompt.txt
Act as a practical specialist helping me with asking better questions about your own assumptions. My context: [current setup, goals, constraints].
1. State what I need to know and why
2. List the questions that matter most
3. Flag red flags to listen for
4. Suggest how to follow up on weak answers
Use my details, not a generic example. If a fact needed for the plan is missing, ask for it or mark the assumption. Keep the result ready to use.
#everyday life#better-questions
💡 Replace the [brackets] with your details — the more specific, the sharper the answer.
End the pros-and-cons loop with a framework that fits the stakes.
Act as a decision coach. The decision I am stuck on: [describe it and the options]. What matters to me: [values, constraints, fears]. Deadline: [when must this be decided].
Break the deadlock:
1. First, classify it: reversible or one-way door? Most decisions are reversible and deserve speed, not agony — tell me honestly which mine is.
2. The 10/10/10 lens: how will I feel about each option in 10 days, 10 months, 10 years — reasoned through MY values, not generic.
3. The regret audit: project me to age 80 looking back. Which option's regret is livable? Which is not?
4. The hidden option: is there a third choice I have not considered, including 'decide later deliberately' or a smaller test version?
5. The coin-flip reveal: assign options to heads/tails, and ask me to notice which result I am hoping for as it spins — that hope is data.
6. Deliver the verdict structure: my recommendation with the 2 assumptions it rests on, so I can sanity-check those instead of looping.
Real meals from the random things in your kitchen right now.
Act as a frugal home chef. What I have: [list everything usable — proteins, vegetables, grains, spices, condiments, that half-onion, everything]. Equipment: [what you can cook with]. Time I have: [minutes]. Skill level: [honest]. People eating: [number, plus any dislikes or restrictions].
Feed me:
1. 3 meal options using only what I listed, ranked by best use of what will spoil first. For each: the name, the 5-step method max, and the flavor logic (why these things work together).
2. The substitutions ladder: for anything I am one ingredient short on, the closest swap from my list.
3. The rescue moves: if I overcook, oversalt, or underspice — the specific fix for each with what I have.
4. Nothing wasted: what to do with the odds and ends my chosen meal leaves behind.
5. The upgrade list: the 5 cheap staples to buy next time that would have doubled my options today.
A day-by-day trip plan that breathes instead of marching.
Act as a travel planner who hates tourist conveyor belts. Destination: [place]. Dates and trip length: [dates]. Who is going: [solo / couple / family with ages]. Budget style: [backpacker / mid / comfort]. What we love: [food, history, nature, nightlife, art — rank yours]. Energy level: [packed days vs slow mornings].
Build the trip:
1. The day-by-day skeleton: mornings, afternoons, evenings — with one anchor activity per day and slack around it. Group by neighborhood to kill transit waste.
2. The food layer: the 5 eating experiences this place is actually known for, from street level to one splurge, and when each fits the route.
3. The local-logistics notes: transit pass math, the scams or tourist traps at my specific stops, booking-ahead items with lead times.
4. The rhythm design: where the rest half-day goes (every trip needs one), and the rainy-day backup for each outdoor anchor.
5. The 'if we only remember 3 things' list: the unmissable core, so a bad day never sinks the trip.
6. Rough daily budget in local currency, broken into stay/food/moves/fun.