Welcome to Prompt, Tinker, Innovate — my AI playground. Each week, we run a hands-on experiment to test how AI can be useful in real life.
This week's playground: Ask AI before making your next hard decision
You've done the loop: pros and cons, gut checks, advice from friends. Still stuck.
That's not clarity you're chasing — it's permission. And this is where AI can actually help. Not to choose for you. But to break the gridlock.
Use case spotlight: Clarify what you already know but can't quite name
Let's say you're stuck between two job offers. One pays more. The other just feels more you. You keep circling. That's not indecision — it's a clash of priorities. AI can help you name them, stress test them, and reflect your instincts back to you in a way that makes them usable.
Now zoom out to a team-level decision: You've only got the resources to go deep on one strategic priority. Do you double down on the core product or chase a new market? Ask AI to simulate each scenario, poke holes in your reasoning, and flag second- or third-order effects.
Your AI experiment: Try this prompt
Time to tinker: Try this prompt with your favorite chatbot the next time you've overanalyzed yourself into a corner.
The prompt:
"I'm having a hard time deciding between [option A] and [option B]. Here's what matters to me: [list a few priorities or concerns]. Can you help me think through this?"
Pro tip: Go deeper
Ask your chatbot to:
- Lay out the pros and cons from your perspective
- Flag what someone like you might regret (or appreciate) later
- Offer a third option you haven't considered yet
Bonus move: Flip it
Once the model gives you its take, do this: "Now argue the other side."
If that version makes you uncomfortable, there's a good chance you've just found your real answer.
What did you learn?
Did the prompt nudge something loose? Did it affirm what you already suspected? Or did it surface something you hadn't even realized mattered?
