DOABLE · PRACTICAL AI SKILLS
Let AI ask you questions before it gives advice
The simplest way to get less generic advice is to let AI learn what matters about your situation before it starts answering.
THE REAL-LIFE PROBLEM
What this guide helps you do
AI often gives generic advice because it does not yet know the budget, constraints, preferences, or responsibilities that make your situation different.
WHEN THIS HELPS
Use it for planning, comparing, drafting, preparing, or any decision where personal context should change the answer.
WHEN TO SKIP IT
Skip it for a quick fact, definition, translation, simple reformat, or a conversation where the necessary context is already clear.
THE INTERVIEW-FIRST PROMPT
One prompt that makes the next answer fit.
CONTEXT I want advice that fits my actual situation, not a generic average. ROLE Act as a thoughtful interviewer before becoming an advisor. Help me identify the context, constraints, preferences, and open questions that should shape the answer. INTERVIEW Ask me 5 to 8 questions, one at a time, about: - what I am trying to do and why - time, money, skill, access, or other constraints - preferences or requirements that matter - what I have already tried or already know - anything else that would materially change the advice Wait for each answer before asking the next question. Do not give advice during the interview. TASK After the interview, summarize what you learned in two or three sentences. State any assumptions you are making about details I did not explicitly provide. Ask me to confirm, correct, or add anything before you give advice.
A SIMPLE WAY THROUGH
How to use it
- Paste the prompt before asking for advice
Add the real task or decision you want help with.
- Answer one question at a time
Share only the context that is useful and safe to include.
- Confirm the summary and assumptions
Correct anything AI misunderstood before it starts advising you.
What a good interview looks like
Imagine you want to refresh a room. Instead of suggesting paint colors and furniture immediately, AI might ask:
- 01
What room are you refreshing, and what do you use it for?
- 02
What is your budget range?
- 03
Do you rent or own, and can you make permanent changes?
- 04
What style are you drawn to, and what do you want to avoid?
- 05
What furniture or features need to stay?
- 06
How much will you do yourself versus hiring help?
- 07
What frustrates you about the room now?
A USEFUL SUMMARY
“You are refreshing a rented living room with a $500 budget. You want a warm, collected look, cannot paint, and are keeping the sofa. You will do the work yourself over one weekend.”
You confirm or correct the summary. Only then does the advice begin.
WITHOUT THE INTERVIEW
Paint an accent wall and buy a new sectional.Generic advice ignores the rental and the sofa you are keeping.AFTER THE INTERVIEW
Work around the walls and build the plan around your sofa.The same tool now has the constraints that change the answer.What AI can do, and what you decide
WHAT AI CAN DO
- Ask relevant questions before offering suggestions.
- Adjust the next question based on your answer.
- Summarize the context it heard.
- Use that context during the current conversation.
WHAT YOU DECIDE
- How much or how little you share.
- Whether its summary is accurate.
- Whether the questions are useful.
- Whether the eventual advice fits your life.
The interview does not make AI infallible. It makes the answer more specific. Your judgment still stays in charge.
BEFORE YOU ACT
What to verify yourself
- Correct any assumption AI made about your budget, location, skills, access, or responsibilities.
- Confirm that the summary reflects what you actually said.
- Check important facts, prices, rules, and recommendations before you act.
Sources and checks
OpenAI: creating a good promptOpenAI: ChatGPT Free Tier FAQAnthropic: choosing a Claude planGoogle: using Gemini AppsGoogle: checking Gemini responsesLast checked: August 3, 2026