Intermediate: Get Serious with AI
You've played with it. Now use it properly. Better prompting, custom GPTs, and your first automations.
Prompting frameworks that actually stick
Why frameworks matter (and when they don't)
5 min · Prompting frameworks are structures you stop reaching for the more fluent you get. Here's why they're still worth learning.
The RTF framework
8 min · Role, Task, Format. The simplest framework there is, and the one you'll use 80% of the time.
The CARE framework
8 min · Context, Action, Result, Example. Use this when the first draft needs to hit a very specific target.
The CO-STAR framework, for when you need nuance
10 min · Context, Objective, Style, Tone, Audience, Response. For the prompts where tone and audience matter as much as the content.
Which framework for which job
6 min · A quick decision guide so you pick the right framework without overthinking it.
Advanced prompting techniques
Few-shot prompting, teaching with examples
10 min · The easiest way to transform AI output. Show it what good looks like, and it'll match.
Chain-of-thought, showing your working
9 min · Ask the AI to reason step by step, and watch it stop guessing. Especially powerful for maths, logic, and multi-step tasks.
Structured outputs in JSON, CSV, and markdown tables
10 min · How to make AI give you output that's ready to paste into a spreadsheet, a form, or a document. No cleanup needed.
Roleplay prompts done well
7 min · Why "you are a therapist" is weak, and what to do instead. Plus three high-value roleplays you can steal.
Iterative refinement
8 min · Almost nobody uses AI well on the first prompt. The ones who use it brilliantly use four. Here's the pattern.
Custom GPTs
What a custom GPT actually is
6 min · A pre-configured version of ChatGPT that remembers your voice, your files, and your rules. Forever.
Building your first custom GPT, step by step
15 min · A 20-minute walkthrough. By the end you'll have your own working GPT saved to your account.
Instructions vs knowledge vs actions
10 min · The three knobs that make a custom GPT. Here's what each one does and when to reach for which.
Sharing a GPT with your team safely
6 min · Three ways to share, when to use each, and the gotchas most teams learn the hard way.
Five custom GPTs to copy and adapt
10 min · Five ready-to-use GPT briefs. Paste them into the builder, swap in your details, and you've got a useful tool by lunchtime.
AI in your real workflow
AI in Google Sheets and Excel
10 min · Writing formulas in English, analysing a block of data, and spotting the signal in the noise. No macros needed.
NotebookLM, your personal research assistant
10 min · Google's under-hyped tool. Upload your sources, ask questions, get answers grounded in the documents you gave it. Free.
Automating your email drafts
8 min · Not "AI reads and replies for you". A better pattern, where you stay in control and still save a day a month.
Content production, idea to polished post
10 min · A repeatable 5-step content pipeline using AI. From raw idea to published post in under an hour.
Privacy, security, and what never to paste in
8 min · A short, practical guide to not accidentally training the internet on your company's secrets.