The Starting Problem
I almost didn't write this.
This past week was rough. Anxiety hit. And I couldn't bring myself to write anything for you.
Not because I didn't care. But because I didn't have anything "good enough" to share.
Then this morning I realized: That IS the thing to share.
Because you might be doing the same thing with AI.
You're waiting until you're "good enough" to start. Until you understand it better. Until you feel ready.
But here's what I learned this week:
You can't get good before you start. You get good by starting badly.
Why This Matters
Most people think "AI literacy" is something you achieve BEFORE you use AI.
So they wait.
They watch tutorials.
They read articles.
They tell themselves they'll start "once they get it."
But here's the truth:
AI literacy doesn't come from understanding AI. It comes from USING AI.
Badly at first.
Then better.
Then eventually, fluently.
The anxiety you feel about not being "good enough" at AI yet? That's the exact thing keeping you from getting good.
What This Week Taught Me
I didn't write because I didn't have something perfect to say.
But writing this, starting even when I didn't feel ready, is what gave me something to say.
The same thing happens with AI:
People don't use it because they don't know what to ask. But using it, even clumsily is what teaches you what to ask.
The breakthrough doesn't come before you start. It comes BECAUSE you started.
Prompt of The Week: Your First AI Win
The Challenge: You want to use AI but you're stuck at the starting line because you don't feel "good enough" yet.
The Solution: One prompt that gets you started TODAY. No perfection required.
THE MESSY START PROMPT
Copy this into ChatGPT or Claude right now:
I want to start using AI but I don't really know what I'm doing yet. That's okay.
Help me get my first small win today.
Ask me ONE question at a time:
1. What's one thing I need to do today that feels annoying or time-consuming?
2. Can I describe it in 2-3 sentences?
3. [After I answer] Create a simple prompt I can use right now to help with that task.
4. [After I try it] What happened? What did I learn?
Make this easy. Make it safe to mess up. Help me see that starting badly is still starting.10 Things You Can Try With AI Today
Don't overthink it. Pick ONE. Do it badly. Learn from it.
Rewrite that awkward email - Paste your draft, ask AI to make it clearer/friendlier/more professional
Break down a big project - Tell AI what you need to do, ask it to turn it into bite-sized steps
Plan meals for the week - Tell AI what's in your fridge, get meal ideas you can actually make
Summarize a long document - Upload or paste it, ask for the key points in 5 bullets
Explain something confusing - Ask AI to explain [topic] like you're 12 years old
Draft a tough conversation - Describe the situation, practice what you want to say
Create a workout routine - Share your fitness level and goals, get a simple weekly plan
Learn a new skill - Ask for a 30-day learning plan for [anything you want to learn]
Get unstuck on a problem - Describe what you're struggling with, ask AI to help you think through it
Brainstorm ideas - Need ideas for [anything]? Ask AI for 20 options, pick your favorites
The rule: Pick one. Try it. If it's messy, try again. That's how you get good.
The Bottom Line
You don't need to be good at AI to use it. You need to use it to get good.
This week, start badly. Ask a clumsy question. Get a weird answer. Learn what to do differently next time.
The 1,000 of us building this together? We're all figuring it out as we go.
That's the point.
Join the Movement
If this newsletter gave you permission to start something you've been avoiding, share it with someone who needs the same permission.
Someone who's waiting to be "ready." Someone who thinks they need to be perfect before they begin.
Send them this. They'll thank you for it.
— The Promptastic Team
P.S. Hit reply and tell us which of these 10 things you tried. We want to know what you picked and what happened. Even if (especially if) it was messy.