Let the AI ask you questions

The biggest barrier to using AI isn't the technology; it’s the shift in how you think about prompting. Most people try to give the machine a perfect instruction from the start, but that’s usually where they get stuck.

I call this technique "using AI to use AI." Let’s say you need to write an email to your kid’s teacher. You have the goal, but you’re blanking on the specifics, tone, or structure. Instead of typing out a vague request like "write an email about my kid," you flip the script.

Tell the AI: "Help me draft an email to my kid's teacher. Ask me questions until you have enough context to write it."

Now the AI becomes the interviewer. It asks about the specific issue, the tone you want, and any relevant details you might have forgotten. You answer, it refines, and you do it back and forth. Before long, you have a draft that actually sounds like you, rather than a generic template you have to rewrite from scratch. It’s a simple change in perspective that turns a blank page into a conversation.