# Eight short instructions that improve everyday AI output

Original 5HO practice material. Fictional example. Reviewed 5 October 2026.

## Useful result

You'll finish with eight reusable instructions with examples and limits.

Small instructions can fix a surprisingly large amount of waffle. Pick the one that addresses today’s problem. Pasting eight rules into every message is how a shortcut becomes homework.

## Set up

Allow 10 minutes with a chat tool. Start with the short test note and choose one or two instructions, rather than stacking the whole list.

## Practice input

Test note: The brochure is drafted. Price approval is missing. Delivery might be Friday. Need a manager update. Try first: use only supplied facts. Then: put missing information under Questions.

## Do the task

1. Read the eight instructions and identify which one the draft needs.
2. Apply it to the sample and compare the output with an unrestricted draft.
3. Keep the instruction only if it makes the result easier to check or use.

## Prompt

Write a short manager update from the note. Use only the supplied facts. Put missing information under Questions.

## Refine

Replace any definite delivery promise with the uncertainty in the note. Do not shorten the answer by removing the price-approval issue.

## Expected checks

The result should keep Friday tentative and show price approval as unresolved. A word limit is useful only if the important information survives it.

## Save

Save two favourite instructions in a note you can find again. Give each a label describing the problem it fixes.

## Choose the instruction you need

- Use only the facts in these notes.
- List unknown owners separately.
- Keep the update below 100 words.
- Link each researched claim to its source.
- Ask one question if the missing detail changes the task.
- Keep the supplied dates and numbers unchanged.
- Prepare a draft and wait before sending.
- Compare your result with the stated success checks.

## Sources

- Writing clear prompts: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10032626-prompt-engineering-best-practices-for-chatgpt