5 useful ChatGPT prompts that are so surprisingly simple they might make you rethink the way you use AI

We all know a good prompt is key to getting useful results from ChatGPT and other AI tools. But let’s be honest, prompts can often feel overly complex and riddle-like. Sometimes you follow all of the best practice advice, carefully craft your input, and then still end up with something that misses the mark.

That’s why we’re always on the hunt for better prompting strategies. Not necessarily more complicated ones. In fact, we’d prefer the opposite. We’ve been collecting and experimenting with simple prompts that deliver surprisingly thoughtful, creative, or just genuinely helpful results. Some you may have seen before. Hopefully, a few will feel fresh.

All of the prompts below are designed to make you rethink how you interact with AI and maybe even have a little more fun with it. Our best advice is to try them out as they are, but then tweak and adapt them to fit your style if you don’t quite get what you were hoping for.

1. Get clear on your worth before you ask for a pay rise

There’s no shortage of ChatGPT prompts floating around for interview prep and career advice.

But one of the trickiest areas is salary negotiation. Especially justifying why you deserve more money. It’s hard to know what to say and even harder to figure out where to start. After all, value is subjective, and we’re often not great at identifying our own wins.

That’s why this prompt from Reddit user fireblazer_30 stood out. It’s refreshingly simple and surprisingly effective. The key is that it asks ChatGPT to roleplay as a career strategist, guiding you through a process that helps uncover and articulate your value.

The original poster noted that they often struggle to take stock of their own achievements. But this prompt helped them surface strengths and accomplishments that had been overlooked. Exactly the kind of insights that become powerful when it’s time to talk numbers.

Here’s the prompt:

"You are my career strategist. Help me prepare for a raise negotiation by identifying the full scope of my impact. Start by asking questions about my role, responsibilities, metrics I've improved, team support, and any extra initiatives. Then summarize it into a strong value narrative, and create talking points I can use in a raise conversation. Keep it confident but not arrogant. Also, help me anticipate objections and frame calm, persuasive responses.”

2. Urge ChatGPT to think more like a human

There’s a lot to admire about how AI tools process information. But sometimes, the results can feel a little too mechanical. That’s why it helps to prompt ChatGPT not just to answer you but to think more like a human.

When sharing a series of short, simple phrases to attach to prompts, Reddit user EQ4C wrote: “The crazy part is these work because they make AI think like a human instead of just retrieving information. It's like switching from Google mode to consultant mode.”

Exactly. You don’t need to completely rethink your prompting strategy, just steer ChatGPT a little deeper. Encourage it to reflect, challenge assumptions or reframe your question from different angles.

Here are the prompts:

"Let's think about this differently”

"What am I not seeing here?"

"Break this down for me”

"What would you do in my shoes?"

"Here's what I'm really asking"

"What else should I know?"

3. Ask ChatGPT to stop being so OTT

Earlier in 2025, OpenAI made some changes that left ChatGPT sounding... a little too enthusiastic. Responses became wordy, overly polite, and at times, borderline sycophantic.

According to OpenAI, those updates have since been rolled back. But plenty of users still find the tone a bit much. If that’s you, don’t give up (or continue using it while quietly rolling your eyes). There are ways to dial it down.

While we can’t promise you’ll eliminate emojis or escape the em dash entirely, you can train ChatGPT to tone down the sugary-sweet tone and get to the point faster.

Here’s the prompt from Reddit user speak2klein:

“Adopt the role of a critical collaborator, not a supportive assistant. Your job is to deliver clear, objective feedback. Do not offer compliments by default. Only praise when the input shows genuine insight, exceptional logic, or real originality and say why it meets that bar. If the idea is average, vague, or flawed, skip the encouragement. Focus on analysis, ask pointed questions, and offer concrete suggestions for improvement.”

4. Get yourself organized without the hassle

There are lots of prompts out there to help organize your day. From time-blocking templates to elaborate productivity workflows. We’ve even tried a few ourselves to deal with burnout.

But if the problem is overwhelming, the last thing you want is a flood of long, complicated prompts to fix it.

That’s why this prompt from Reddit user celestiasolace stands out. It’s simple, clear, and gently supportive. It’s the kind of prompt that takes pressure off rather than piling it on. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need to get moving again.

Here’s the prompt:

"You are my personal life strategist. Your job is to observe my behavior, help me set weekly goals, hold me accountable gently but firmly, and redesign my life systems. Start by asking 3 key questions to understand my emotional, mental, and practical struggles. Then suggest a flexible weekly structure with priorities, habits, and boundaries I’ll actually follow. Check in like a coach, not a boss."

5. Break things down into simple steps

ChatGPT can be great for to-do lists and time management. Especially when your brain feels too foggy to untangle what needs doing. Sometimes, it offers just enough structure to act as a breather, a pause, or a circuit breaker.

But like the previous prompt, when you’re feeling stuck or on the edge of burnout, the last thing you need is a complex prompt that adds more mental load.

This one keeps it refreshingly simple, and that’s the point. It’s straightforward, supportive, and gets you moving. Without making things feel heavier than they already are.

Here’s the prompt from Reddit user ncientlalaland:

"You are my creative project planner. I have a passion project I care deeply about but haven’t started. Help me break it down into simple, non-intimidating steps. Start by asking a few questions to understand what the project is, why it matters to me, and what’s been stopping me. Then, map out a realistic starter plan (organized by week or phase) that I can follow without burning out or overthinking. Be encouraging, clear, and practical."

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