Welcome to your “onboarding.” This page isn’t just about more prompts; it’s about shifting how you think so you can get the most out of AI without the overwhelm. Think of this as the “universal remote” for every assignment on this site—whether you are managing your Small Business, smoking a Boston butt, or navigating a parenting hurdle.
🧠 The Three Golden Rules
Before you type a single word, keep these three principles in mind:
- Rule 1: AI is a “Thought Partner,” not a Search Engine. Instead of asking for a link, ask it to help you build a solution based on your specific situation.
- Rule 2: The “Draft 1” Rule. Treat every AI response as a first draft. It provides the foundation, but your intuition as a parent, cook, or business owner is the final authority.
- Rule 3: Trust Your Gut. If a suggestion doesn’t feel right for your family or your project, ignore it or ask the AI to try a different approach.
🛠️ The Universal “4-Step Mission”
Every guide on this site uses this exact framework. Master this, and you can solve almost anything:
- The Situation: Describe the current hurdle (e.g., “I’m trying to rip my DVD collection to a media server”).
- The Ask: Tell the AI exactly what you need (e.g., “I need a step-by-step checklist for Handbrake settings”).
- The Personality: Define the style or tone you want (e.g., “Explain this to me like I’m a hobbyist, not a software engineer”).
- The Action: Ask for a specific deliverable (e.g., “Give me a bulleted list of settings to use”).
You don’t need to memorize this — but it’s a powerful little template for getting great results.
📱 Hardware & Features to Use
AI is more than just a chat box on a screen. Use these tools to make it part of your daily flow:
- Voice Mode: When your hands are full in the kitchen or you’re in the middle of a busy routine, use Voice Mode on your phone to talk through your ideas—it’s much faster than typing.
- The Camera (Vision): You can take photos of recipe cards, a classic console radio chassis, or even a child’s worksheet to get instant explanations or summaries.
- Desktop for “Deep Work”: Whether you’re troubleshooting WordPress, PowerShell, or GitHub Copilot, or drafting longform writing, the desktop interface gives you more space for copying, pasting, and focused work.
- AI Agents: Think of these as specialized assistants you can “hire” for recurring tasks. Whether it’s an agent that researches market trends for your business, responds to emails or texts (or even phone calls), or one that helps you brainstorm characters for a cartoon, agents can handle complex, multi-step projects while you focus on the big picture.
🚀 Next Step: Protecting Your World
Now that you have the toolkit, it’s important to know where the boundaries are. AI is powerful, but it requires a “safety-first” mindset when it comes to your family’s data and privacy.