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title: AI Prompt Hacks
modified: 2026-07-19
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1. **“I’m probably wrong, but…”**: Weird trick that works. It stops being defensive and starts collaborating. “I’m probably wrong, but I think my boss hates me” gets real analysis, not just reassurance.
2. **“Connect these dots for me”**: Give it random facts and let it find relationships. “Connect these dots: I hate mornings, love puzzles, get energized by deadlines.” It maps your personality in ways you didn’t see.
3. **“What’s the 80/20 here?”**: Cuts through everything to find what actually matters. “What’s the 80/20 of learning guitar?” skips the fluff and gets to core fundamentals.
4. **“Play devil’s advocate against yourself”**: Makes it argue both sides of its own answer. You get the full picture instead of just the obvious take.
5. **“What story is the data telling?”**: Perfect for anything with numbers or patterns. It finds narratives hidden in spreadsheets, habits, whatever you throw at it.
6. **“Translate this into everyday language”**: Even for simple stuff. Takes any jargon-heavy topic and makes it human. “Translate marketing funnels into everyday language” = pure gold.
7. **“What’s the counterintuitive move here?”**: Gets past obvious advice to weird strategies that actually work. “What’s the counterintuitive move for networking?” reveals approaches nobody else uses.
8. **“What would I regret not knowing?”**: This hits different than “what else should I know.” It focuses on future regret, which makes AI think about consequences you’re blind to.
9. **“Give me v2”**: Instead of saying “improve this,” ask for a specific version. “Give me v2” frames it as a fresh take, not a fix — and AI treats it like a revision, not a critique.