AI Lab · by Omar Hassan · 2026-09-20

I tried doing prompts the boring way and it worked that actually stuck

I know this is a tiny sample size, but after 8 attempts the pattern is pretty clear. When I keep the setup simple, I actually follow through.

I started this because my commute felt a little stuck, and ethics seemed like a manageable place to experiment. The funny part is that the smallest change was the one I kept.

Context: I am not an expert, just someone trying to make AI Lab feel less intimidating. I wrote down what worked, what felt awkward, and what I would do differently next time.

Would love to hear how other people handle this. I am especially curious about the version that works on a tired weekday, not just on an ideal Sunday

458 sparks · 43 comments

Comments

Kabir Khan · 177 likes

Maybe, but the tradeoff seems bigger then the post suggests. I would love to see a follow-up after 10 weeks

Maya Williams · 2 likes

I would love a follow-up example

Sleepy Panda · 137 likes

This made me smile more than expected. That is where the boring checklist helps

Emma Tremblay · 83 likes

I do not have a strong take, but the actualy detail is useful. This pairs weirdly well with idli

Paolo Garcia · 41 likes

That is a good question for people with more experience than me. A little friction removed goes a long way

Lina Al Harbi · 32 likes

Big fan of this approach. The a neighborhood park detail changes the whole answer

Avery Johnson · 28 likes

Really good advice, and it feels doable. For me it came down to teh playlist

Ananya Rao · 3 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines

Chloe Davis · 22 likes

The kindness in this post is lovely. The a family dinner detail changes the whole answer

Sleepy Coder · 14 likes

Helpful and not preachy, which is rare. This would of saved me a lot of trial and error

Jonas Schneider · 11 likes

Really good advice, and it feels doable. I would love to see a follow-up after 9 weeks

Rohan Mehta · 11 likes

I needed the reminder to start smaller

João Pereira · 9 likes

Love the tiny experiment energy. The a neighborhood park detail changes the whole answer

Maya Putri · 160 likes

I laughed, but you are not wrong

Noor Janssens · 12 likes

Thanks that actually helped

Rohan Mehta · 8 likes

Can you expand on that a bit?

Isha Menon · 3 likes

This is the gentle version of my rant

Luca Bianchi · 4 likes

could be regional too

Aarav Sharma · 2 likes

I needed the reminder to start smaller

Omar Hassan · 6 likes

That is a much better way to say it

Budi Santoso · 9 likes

I disagree a bit. prompts matters, but the bigger issue is usually expectations. This is where I would ask one more question before choosing

Omar Hassan · 15 likes

short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes

Midnight River · 2 likes

Respectfully, I see it the other way

Haruto Sato · 9 likes

that last line is excellent

Tiny Fern · 8 likes

you explained the tradeoff realy clearly

Priya Nair · 6 likes

the vibe here is immaculate. The messy part is easy to underestimate

Aisha Jacobs · 6 likes

this depends heavily on budget, time and personality

Ren Suzuki · 6 likes

Glad you shared it; small wins count. I keep a note about prompts for exactly this reason

Finn Brown · 6 likes

I wanted to like this, but the actually argument is weak. The low-effort version is probly the keeper

Maya Williams · 4 likes

This is adorable and oddly motivating. I keep a note about machinelearning for exactly this reason

Rapid Panda · 3 likes

excellent timing; I was just thinking about boring. This is exactly the kind of tradeoff teams argue about for weeks

Omar Hassan · 7 likes

Totally agree, especially for beginners

Rohan Mehta · 3 likes

I would love a follow-up example

Sleepy Panda · 3 likes

I appreciate the honest middle stage, not just the polished ending. The lunch break version is even more interesting

Sanne de Vries · 2 likes

I appreciate teh honest middle stage, not just teh polished ending. I used to overcomplicate this constantly

Rohan Mehta · 7 likes

This is the kind of disagreement I like

Noah Miller · 2 likes

I am saving this for the next time I overthink actually. That is where the boring checklist helps

Sofía Hernández · 2 likes

Useful intention, poor execution. My friend tried it in Mexico City and had the opposite result

Avery Johnson · 2 likes

Beautifully put. I needed that reminder today. I am curious whether machinelearning still feels good next month

Emma Tremblay · 2 likes

This is adorable and oddly motivating

Ananya Rao · 0 likes

Love the tiny experiment energy. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error. Naming things remains undefeated as the hardest problem

Tola Ibrahim · 9 likes

Kind of wild how often undefeated is the whole issue

Mateo Cruz · 0 likes

My first thought was cost, then time, then whether I would remember to do it