// cheat code 02  ·  the lines  ·  checked aug 25, 2026

12 lines I type into AI every day.

One line each. No settings, no setup. You type the line and the answer gets better. They work in Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok, and I use most of these before lunch.

Kaleb Webb
A free guide by Kaleb Webb. The businesses I run (automotive, real estate, media) run on lines like these. Change any word that doesn't sound like you.
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12 linesone line eachany AI appcopy, paste, done
// read first

Three things before you start.

Type it, don't think it

These are sentences, not settings. Same words work in every app. If one feels awkward in your mouth, change a word. The shape is what matters. Anything in [brackets], swap in your own words.

Two you already have

The five-questions line and the how-sure-are-you line live in Day One. They're the best two. Not repeated here.

Make your favorites permanent

The ones you type every single day go in your profile box (Day One, setup 1). Then you never type them again.

01The job 02Shut up 03A person 04Plain 05Pick 06What matters 07Steps 08Bite me 09Other side 10Half 11Not it 12Tomorrow
01BEFORE YOU ASK

Tell it the job before the task.

// the thing this killsA perfect answer to the wrong question.
// when you type itFirst line of any chat that matters. The job is the thing you're actually trying to get done. The task is what you want right now. They're different, and most bad answers come from skipping the first one.
// the line
Here's the job: [what I'm trying to get done], for [who ends up reading it]. Here's the task: [what I want right now]. If anything's unclear, ask before you start.

"The job is getting my landlord to fix the AC before Friday. The task is the email." Now it knows the email has to work, not just sound nice.

// you'll know it worked whenIt asks one good question instead of guessing, or it skips the question and nails it.
next: shut up ↓
02WHILE IT TALKS

Make it shut up.

// the thing this killsThree paragraphs of warm-up before the actual answer.
// when you type itAny time it starts with "Great question" or gives you a menu when you wanted a meal.
// the line
Skip the intro. Start with the answer, keep it short, and no menu of options unless I ask.

Type it once and it holds for the rest of the chat. Don't put this one in your profile. It strangles the steps line and the tomorrow line. Type it when you need it.

// you'll know it worked whenThe answer starts with the answer.
next: a person ↓
03AFTER IT WRITES

Make it sound like a person.

// the thing this killsEmails that read like they came from HR.
// when you type itRight after it writes anything you're going to send. Email, text, post, the note to the teacher. Your profile sets the default voice (Day One, setup 1). This fixes the one draft in front of you.
// the line
Rewrite that the way I'd say it out loud to someone I like. Cut anything I wouldn't actually say.
// you'll know it worked whenYou read it back and you don't wince.
next: plain ↓
04WHEN IT'S OVER YOUR HEAD

Explain it like I'm new.

// the thing this killsAn answer that's technically right and completely useless to you.
// when you type itWhen the answer has words you'd have to look up. Also works on the doctor's letter, the lease, and your kid's math homework.
// the line
Say that again for someone who has never heard of it. Plain words, and one example from normal life.
// you'll know it worked whenYou could repeat it to somebody at dinner without looking at your phone.
next: pick ↓
05ANY DECISION

Make it pick.

// the thing this kills"Here are five options. It depends on your needs."
// when you type itAny decision. Which plan, which wording, which day, which one to buy.
// the line
Give me your actual pick and one reason. Then stop.

You don't have to take the pick. But now you know what it thinks and why, which is the whole point of asking.

// you'll know it worked whenOne answer, one reason, and it stops.
next: what matters ↓
06AFTER YOU PASTE

What actually matters in this?

// the thing this killsReading forty lines to find the two that count.
// when you type itRight after you paste anything long. A memo, a contract, a group text with 80 messages, a benefits packet. It answers "for me" better when your profile says who you are (Day One, setup 1).
// the line
What's the one thing in this that matters most for me? Say that first. Then anything I'd regret missing. Skip the rest.
// you'll know it worked whenThe first sentence is the thing you would have found on page three.
next: steps ↓
07ANY HOW-DO-I

Turn it into steps I can actually do.

// the thing this killsAdvice that sounds right and never tells you what to click.
// when you type itAny "how do I" question. Setting something up, fixing something, filling out a form.
// the line
Turn that into numbered steps in order. For each one, tell me what I'll see on the screen when it worked.

The catch: it can't see your screen, so a button name might be wrong. If step 3 doesn't match what you see, tell it what's on the screen and use line 11.

// you'll know it worked whenYou can do step 1 without reading step 2.
next: bite me ↓
08BEFORE YOU SEND

What's going to bite me?

// the thing this killsSending the thing and finding out the hard way.
// when you type itBefore you send, sign, or post. Works on your own writing too: paste it in and ask.
// the line
Before I send this, what's the one thing that could come back to bite me? If it's fine, just say "send it."
// you'll know it worked whenIt finds the sentence you were already nervous about. Or it says "nothing, send it," and you can.
next: other side ↓
09AFTER A PLAN

Argue the other side.

// the thing this killsOnly hearing the side you already believed.
// when you type itAfter a pick, a plan, a pitch, or anything you feel a little too good about.
// the line
Now argue the other side. What would someone who disagrees say, and where are they right?
// you'll know it worked whenAt least one point lands, and the plan gets better because of it.
next: half ↓
10AFTER ANY DRAFT

Cut it in half.

// the thing this killsEverything it writes is twice as long as it needs to be.
// when you type itAfter any draft. Then again if it's still long. It doesn't get offended.
// the line
Cut that in half. Keep every fact, lose the filler.
// you'll know it worked whenNothing's missing and it reads faster.
next: not it ↓
11WHEN IT MISSES

That's not it.

// the thing this killsStarting over from scratch because the first try was a little off.
// when you type itWhen it misses. Don't rewrite your whole request. Name the one thing that was wrong.
// the line
That's not it. Here's what was off: [the one thing]. Try again and change only that.
// you'll know it worked whenThe second try fixes the one thing and leaves the parts that were fine alone.
next: tomorrow ↓
12END OF DAY

What do I do first tomorrow?

// the thing this killsClosing the laptop with fourteen things half-done.
// when you type itEnd of the day, in the same chat you worked in. It only knows what happened in front of it, so keep the day's work in one chat or one room (Day One, setup 2).
// the line
From everything we did today: what should I do first tomorrow, what can wait, and what did I say I'd do that I haven't done?
// you'll know it worked whenOne thing at the top, and it's the right one.
only remembering three? ↓ ↓
// only remembering three?

Take 1, 2 and 5.

The job first, make it shut up, make it pick. Those three fix most of what people hate about talking to AI.

01 the job02 shut up05 pick
// straight talk

None of these are magic words.

They work because they're what a good boss says to a smart new hire: here's the job, keep it short, pick one, tell me what's going to bite us. Talk to it like that and it acts like that. The 30-Day Challenge is thirty days of building that habit on real work.

// what changed
DateChange
Aug 25, 2026First version. Every line was run for real, with a real mess in front of it, the day this went up.
The 30-Day Challenge
// the habit

Thirty days of building the habit, on real work.

The 30-Day Challenge is one real challenge a day, about 12 minutes each, for 30 days: an assistant that knows you, workflows for your job, systems for your life, your first agents. Seasons start a few times a year. The next start date and the current price are on the Challenge page.

$197 one-time · one Season · keep the lessons for good
Join the 30-Day Challenge →

Finish all 30, post your builds along the way, and if AI still isn't doing real work for you, email within 2 days of finishing for a full refund. Full terms in the FAQ.

// the letter

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