Most people who say "AI doesn't work for me" are writing prompts like Google searches. "kurta description". "email to boss". Then they get an average answer and blame the model.
I've taught this to my team, my parents' shopkeeper friends and a few college students. Everyone gets better in one sitting with the same simple formula. I call it CTF — Context, Task, Format. No jargon, no "act as a world-class expert" nonsense.
The CTF formula
Context — who you are, who this is for, what's the situation. Task — the one thing you want done, with the important details. Format — how the answer should look: length, structure, tone, language.
That's it. Let me show the difference.
Weak prompt:
Write a leave email.
CTF prompt:
Context: I'm a software engineer at a mid-size company in Pune; my manager is friendly but formal in writing. Task: ask for 3 days of leave next week (Wed–Fri) for a cousin's wedding in Indore; I'll finish the current sprint tasks before I go. Format: short professional email, 4–5 lines, polite, no over-apologising, subject line included.
Same model, completely different result. The second one you can send as-is.
Five habits that make prompts work
- Give one real example of what you like. Style transfers better than description. "Here's a caption I wrote that performed well — write three in this style."
- State the audience. "For a first-time buyer" and "for a returning customer" produce different copy.
- Name the length. "120 words" beats "short". Models take numbers seriously.
- Ask for options when you're unsure. "Give me 3 versions: playful, formal, direct." Then pick.
- Iterate in the same chat. "Make the second one warmer and cut it to 2 lines" is faster than starting over.
Prompts for everyday Indian life (steal these)
Explain a document
Context: I'm not a finance person. Task: explain this insurance policy's exclusions in plain English and flag anything that would surprise a normal person. Format: 6 bullets, then one line: "biggest gotcha".
Prepare for a call
Context: I'm calling a supplier in Surat about a delayed shipment; relationship matters. Task: give me talking points to get a firm date without souring things. Format: 5 bullets, and one polite closing line in Hinglish.
Study help
Context: Class 12 student, board exams in 3 months, weak in organic chemistry. Task: make a 4-week revision plan for organic only, 45 minutes a day. Format: table by week, then 3 tips to remember reactions.
Content ideas
Context: I run a home-bakery Instagram in Kochi, 2k followers, mostly women 22–40. Task: 10 Reel ideas for the festive season that need only a phone. Format: numbered list, one line each, mark the 3 easiest.
Which model for which prompt?
CTF works on every model, but the results still differ:
- Claude — writing, tone, following long instructions.
- Gemini — anything that needs today's information (grounded search).
- DeepSeek R1 — maths, logic, "check my reasoning".
- Llama / Nova / GPT-OSS 20B — quick, cheap, everyday drafts.
If you're not sure, use Auto in Kryotta and it routes for you; if it matters, run the same CTF prompt through two models side by side and see who wins.
The one-week challenge
For one week, don't type a prompt without C, T and F. Save the ones that work in a note. By Friday you'll have a personal prompt library that beats any "1000 prompts" PDF you were tempted to buy.
