Two easy steps that fix your AI

Have you noticed that AI thinks every idea you have is great? Ask it about your plan, and it says, "What a thoughtful approach!" Ask a simple question, and you get five paragraphs and a summary of the five paragraphs.

That's not an accident. These tools are built to be agreeable. That feels nice, but it doesn't help you.

Here's my note to you: two easy steps fix most of it.

Step 1: "Don't tell me I'm right. Push back."

This turns your AI from a cheerleader into a sounding board. Now when you share a plan, it points out what you missed. When you draft a tough email, it tells you which line might land badly.

Try it: "Here's my plan for asking my brother to help more with Mom. Don't tell me I'm right. Push back. What am I missing?"

Step 2: "Keep your answers short."

This one saves you time every single day. You get the answer first. If you want more, ask for more.

Make them stick

You can type these at the start of any chat. Better yet, save them in your AI's settings so they apply every time. My note on teaching your AI to write like you shows exactly where to put them in ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot.

Test it

Ask your AI: "I'm thinking about quitting my gym and working out at home. Good idea?" Before you add these steps, you'll probably get a pep talk. After, you should get real questions about whether you'll actually do it.

Let's figure this out together.