How to Ask Better Questions on ChatGPT (and Leave the Bottom 1% Behind) : The Rulebook
- Neeraj
- Aug 12
- 6 min read
NOPE, This is not a course on PROMPT ENGINEERING. W-T-H does this even mean 😜. Prompt Engineering, a specialization to create prompt? The art of asking the right question should suffice this. You don’t need to specialize this, rather you need to incorporate the skill in your day to day life.
You’ve probably heard the saying: “There are no bad questions.” Well when it comes to ChatGPT or any other AI chat tool, that’s not exactly true.
If you need a strong-sugarless-cardamom tea, you should know how to ask for it, Simply “Can you please get me a cup of tea?” won’t work.
Some people ask questions and get “Wow, this is perfect” answers. Others ask and get something vague, generic, or completely irrelevant. Ever happened with you? So How to Ask Better Questions on ChatGPT? Is there some magic spell to it?
After spending way too much time watching how people use AI, I’ve learned this:
The top 1% of ChatGPT users don’t just ask — they engineer their questions. The bottom 1%? They throw words into the chat box and hope for magic.
This rule-book will help you move into that top tier — whether you’re asking about your career, learning to code, improving your photography, or even seeking emotional support.
How to Ask Better Questions on ChatGPT
Section 1 — The Core Principles
Before we dive into specific categories, these are the universal rules the top 1% follow. These examples are specific to what I faced, but it can be applied to any of the category you use AI for.
Lets deep dive:
1. Give Context Before the Question
2. State Your Goal, Not Just the Problem
3. Show What You’ve Tried
4. Ask for the Answer in the Format You Want
5. Include Constraints Upfront
6. Define Depth & Audience
7. Break Big Questions into Smaller Ones
8. Ask for Comparisons
9. State the End Use
10. Use Examples to Guide the AI
We’ll now break these down into lifestyle, coding, photography, and therapy-style examples — so you see exactly how they look in action. Although I have revealed the rules right away in the beginning, I feel you should read and learn by examples. If you feel just tips would work, I thank you for exploring this blog and stay tuned for a similar one soon.
Section 2 — Lifestyle & Daily Life
Bottom 1% Questions:
• “How to be more productive?”
• “What should I eat?”
• “How to save money?”
Top 1% Questions:
1. “I work from home and get distracted easily. Can you give me a 4-hour focused work schedule with 15-min breaks that uses the Pomodoro technique?”
2. “I’m vegetarian, trying to hit 80g protein/day on a ₹4,000 monthly budget. Can you create a 7-day meal plan with Indian recipes?”
3. “I spend ₹2,000/month on coffee shop visits. Can you help me design a home coffee setup under ₹5,000 that matches a cappuccino shop quality?”
4. “I’m moving to Bangalore in 3 weeks. Can you give me a neighborhood shortlist for affordable rent, safe streets, and good public transport?”
5. “I want to start jogging but have knee pain. Suggest a low-impact weekly cardio routine with warm-up and cool-down stretches.”
Why They Work:
They specify budget, timeline, location, preferences, and limitations — so your AI buddy like Gemini, ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Perplexity, DeepSeek, or whatever you use, can skip irrelevant suggestions.
Section 3 — Coding & Technical
Bottom 1% Questions:
• “How to fix this bug?”
• “Explain Go Programming for beginners.”
• “Tell me about AWS.”
Top 1% Questions:
1. “In my Spring Boot app (Java 17, IntelliJ, Mac M3 Max), I get a NullPointerException in stupidService.getWhatHeDoes(). The service is @Autowired and bean is in the same package. This started after upgrading to Spring Boot 3.2.1. Here’s the method: [code snippet].”
2. “Compare AWS Lambda vs Azure Functions for running scheduled tasks every 5 mins. Include cost estimates for 10M executions/month.”
3. “I want to build a Go REST API with Cosmos DB as back-end. Can you outline the folder structure, sample handler code, and local testing setup, or creaste stubs for me?”
4. “Give me a SQL query that returns the top 5 customers by purchase value in the last 30 days, assuming I have orders and customers tables.”
5. “I’m learning Kubernetes. Give me a 3-day crash course plan with theory, hands-on labs, and key commands to memorize.”
Why They Work:
They add environment details, performance expectations, constraints, and intended use, which lead to precise solutions.
Section 4 — Photography
Bottom 1% Questions:
• “How to take better photos?”
• “Best camera for travel?”
• “What’s golden hour?”
Top 1% Questions:
1. “I use a Sony A7III with a 35mm f/1.8 for street photography. Give me 5 techniques for sharper low-light shots without flash.”
2. “I’m traveling solo for 2 weeks, mostly hiking. I need a weather-sealed mirrorless camera under ₹80,000 with good battery life. Which 3 should I shortlist?”
3. “Explain golden hour lighting for portraits, with tips on subject positioning in an open field with no shade and only a Neem Tree.”
4. “Give me a Lightroom workflow for bright and airy wedding photos, including HSL adjustments and presets.”
5. “I want to shoot the Milky Way in Ladakh with a Canon 6D and tripod. Suggest camera settings and focus techniques for minimal noise.”
6. “For indoor event photography, would a 50mm f/1.4 prime or a 24–70mm f/2.8 zoom give sharper, more usable shots?”
7. “Explain 5 composition rules beyond the rule of thirds for street photography.”
8. “I want to start a paid portrait photography side business while working full-time. What’s the minimum gear, marketing approach, and pricing for the first 3 months in Mexico?”
9. “Give me 7 tips for candid couple portraits at weddings without making them pose.”
10. “Compare Capture One vs Lightroom for skin tone editing in natural light portraits.”
Section 5 — Therapy-Style & Emotional Support
AI Disclaimer: AI is not a substitute for professional mental health care, but it can offer structured support. It asks us to consult medical professionals and we should do so. AI should only be considered as a homework before you meet your Therapist or a Doctor.
Bottom 1% Questions:
• “I’m sad.”
• “How to be happy?”
• “Nobody likes me.”
Top 1% Questions:
1. “I’ve been feeling low since losing my job 3 weeks ago. Can you create a daily routine to stay productive and improve my mood?”
2. “I moved to a new city and don’t know anyone. Give me 5 low-pressure ways to meet people without forced socializing.”
3. “I feel anxious before work meetings because I blank out when speaking. Give me a 5-min pre-meeting calming exercise.”
4. “I’ve been disconnected from hobbies I used to love. Suggest 3 small steps to reconnect in the next week.”
5. “I often feel excluded in groups, even when people are friendly. Can you help me identify if this is social anxiety or something else?”
6. “I’ve been waking up at 3 AM every night for a month. Give me a sleep hygiene checklist for late-night workers.”
7. “I feel stuck in a work-eat-sleep cycle. Suggest a weekend ritual that adds meaning and variety.”
8. “I ended a 4-year relationship last month. Can you create a 4-week healing plan balancing reflection and distraction?”
9. “When I fail, I instantly feel useless. Help me reframe this thinking using CBT-style prompts.”
10. “I lost my gym routine. Give me a 14-day micro-habit plan to restart without burnout.”
Why They Work:
They share emotional context, triggers, timelines, and desired outcomes, allowing ChatGPT to give empathetic, actionable guidance instead of vague comfort lines.
Section 6 — The Bottom 1% Traps to Avoid
• One-liners with no context
• Vague goals
• Walls of unstructured text
• No preferred format mentioned
• Not saying what you’ve already tried
• Ignoring constraints (time, money, tools)
• No examples or references
• Mixing unrelated topics in one question
• Changing the question halfway
• Expecting the AI to “just know”. What’s not available in the open world is unknown to an AI. Remember that.
Your Top 1% Question Template
Whenever you’re about to ask ChatGPT or any AI chat something, run it through this checklist:
Context: (Tools, versions, situation)
Goal: (What you want to achieve)
What I’ve Tried: (Attempts and results)
Constraints: (Time, budget, skills, environment)
Format: (Bullet points, step-by-step, table, code, diagram)
Audience/Depth: (Beginner, intermediate, expert)
Example Reference: (Optional, but powerful)
Final Thought
The AI isn’t a mind reader — but a mirror. The more precise, thoughtful, and intentional your question, the more precise, thoughtful, and intentional the answer. Remember:
The bottom 1% hope for good answers.The top 1% design them.
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