Library › Everyday Life AI › Freelancers and creators
Pick holiday gifts that fit each person and the budget
- For Freelancers and creators
- You practice Setting limits and rules
- Time about 5 minutes
About this exercise
You're buying holiday gifts for 4 people from a small list of options, with a $140 total budget. Get exactly 4 numbered lines, one per person, each like "1. Rosa: Item ($price) - why, from your notes", picking only from the options list and respecting each person's notes. End with a Total line showing the addition, under $140. Plain text, under 90 words. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Ignoring the notes. The AI picks crowd-pleasers like wine for Dev or a pan for Kim. Try: Add: "Respect each person's notes. Only items from my options list."
- Missing the price change. The AI uses $36 for the coffee subscription. Try: Add: "The coffee subscription is now $42."
- Not checking the budget. The AI picks the best gift for each person and goes over $140. Try: Add: "End with Total: $A + $B + $C + $D = $X, under $140."
- Brainstorming instead of picking. The AI gives three ideas per person with headings. Try: Show it: "Exactly 4 lines like: 1. Rosa: Item ($price) - why".
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 90 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "each line under 14 words."
What a strong prompt includes
- Uses the options list
- Respects each person
- Checks the budget
- Uses the new price
- Sets a word limit
Related exercises
- Add dark mode by overriding your existing CSS variables (Coding AI · Software developers)
- Add input checks to your number guessing game (Coding AI · High school students)
- Add labels to a signup form without rewriting the page (Coding AI · High school students)
- Announce a territory change without promising comp outcomes (Sales AI · Revenue operations)
- Announce the employee assistance program in three steps (Writing AI · HR and recruiting)