AI Catalyst · October 7, 2026

Explain
it once.

A short story about AI, a teenager’s bedroom, and getting it right the first time.

Lucas Hains · Zenith Consulting

→ or scroll

The problem

Same ask. Different day. Different result.

Sent again
Monday

Team update

  • Closed 3 renewals
  • New hire starts Monday
  • Q4 plan due Friday
Tuesday

Dear Team, I hope this message finds you well. As we reflect upon the remarkable journey of this past week, it is with great pleasure and no small measure of gratitude that I share the following comprehensive overview of our collective…

(continues for four more paragraphs)

Wednesday

🚀 WHAT A WEEK, TEAM!!! 🔥🔥 Renewals? CLOSED. ✅ New hire? HIRED. 🙌 We are CRUSHING it 💪💯 Let’s GOOO 🎉 #teamwork #grind

Show of hands: has this happened to you?
PIZZASock on the lampPizza on the deskUnder the bed…One shoeDone! ✨

Think of it like this

Ever asked a teenager to clean their room?

This is where you started.

Day 1
“Clean your room.”

Better. But it missed some things.

Day 2 · the same words
“Clean your room.”

Cleaned out. Technically clean.

Day 3 · a checklist
  • Clothes in the hamper
  • Books on the shelf
  • Make the bed
  • Trash out
  • Clear the desk
  • Shoes by the door

Perfect. You wrote down exactly what you meant.

“Clean your room” got two different rooms.

The checklist got the right one. Hold on to that checklist.

Chat+ New chat
Our colors are navy and teal.
Got it!
Always ask before you build.
Will do.
The reps read it on their phones.
Noted.
How can I help you today?
MemoryLucas · ZenithLikes short answers
The rest? It guesses.
Message…

Here’s the thing

AI is the teenager. And it’s always guessing.

1It doesn’t know what “clean” means to you.
2It remembers bits and pieces. Not your whole process.
3So it guesses. A little differently every time.

The common mistake

We give it 5%. We expect 95%.

Round 1
What we expectWhat we getNext time
Your effort5%
5%
95%done for you
35%the fight
YouAIThe fight
Make it shorter. Here’s a longer version! No emojis, please. Got it! 🚀🔥 Use our template. I made you a new one! That’s the same thing. Here it is again! ✨

You planned 5%. You did 40%.And next time? Same fight.A long prompt is still guessing. And it never asks you a thing.

AIMe and my AI
Build me a dashboard for my team.
Done! Here it is.
Oh… it’s for their phones.
Rebuilt for phones!
And use our brand colors.
Love it. Going with purple!
WE DON’T HAVE PURPLE.
You’re absolutely right!
I read the prompting books
Interview me before you build anything.
Great idea! Who is it for?
My reps. On their phones.
Got it. And what colors?
Next day · new chat
Interview me first.
Remember to ask who it’s for.
Make sure you use our brand colors.
Follow the steps from last time.
Use the doc we made yesterday.
…every. single. time.
Later that day
Fix the typo in the title.
Love it! First, a few questions. Who’s the audience? What’s the goal? What tone are we going for?
IT’S A TYPO.

That was me

I didn’t know the right questions to ask.

It started building right away.

Then came round after round of fixing it.

So I learned to say “interview me.”

That helped a lot.

But I had to say it every single time.

I needed it to know my process, without me retyping it.

Remember the checklist?

That’s a skill.

A repeatable process your AI follows the same way, every time you use it. Whichever chat picks up the task.

SkillWeekly team update
  1. Ask what happened this week
  2. Two wins, one ask
  3. Under 150 words
  4. Our template. No emojis.
  5. Show me before it goes out

Same ask. Same result.

Monday

Team update

  • 3 renewals closed
  • Maya starts Monday
  • Ask: Q4 plan by Friday
✓
Tuesday

Team update

  • 3 renewals closed
  • Maya starts Monday
  • Ask: Q4 plan by Friday
✓
Wednesday

Team update

  • 3 renewals closed
  • Maya starts Monday
  • Ask: Q4 plan by Friday
✓
Stop repeating yourself.Write it down once.
Same steps, every time.Ask for it by name, like “Weekly team update.”
Fix it once. It stays fixed.Every chat gets the fix.

Explain it once.

Saved

Your process

Weekly team update
Your skill, by name
Saved

Your look, too

Brand style guide
Fonts, logo, colors

Back to my story

The skill I use most is a planning skill.

Interview me first.Remember that? It does that for me now.

Before AIMonth 1
back to the drawing board
Hand-drawn sketches
A big Google Doc
Meetings and questions
“Why won’t this work?”
More sketches
Design, months later
First version, years later
With AIOne weekend
FridayPlan it
SaturdayAI builds it
SundayReview it
A designed, working concept

So how does it fit in a weekend?

How it works

Five stages. One weekend.My 15 · 80 · 5 rule of thumb.

I use Claude. Any AI chat can follow the same stages.

FridayPlan it15%

Questions

  1. 1It asks me good questions

What I heard

  1. 2It repeats back what it heard
  2. 3It shows me what it’ll look like
  3. 4I give feedback until I’m happy

Plan

  1. 5It builds a plan
  2. 6It attacks its own planThe secret
SaturdayAI builds it80%

Build

  1. 7It builds it, step by step
SundayReview it5%

Review

  1. 8I review and finalize

Bigger idea, more questions. A typo gets none.

So I can check it heard me, and see it before it’s built.

The secret: it finds the holes before I ever see the plan.

Build means a working tool your team can click, not just text. I sign off.

Share of the work: six of eight steps are planning, and they’re only 15% of it.

Sample run · made-up companyWatch the top bar: your 15% · Claude’s 80% · your 5%
Plan It First · sample runLive prototype · click the reply to play it, then click around

Your first step

Plan it first. Every time.

Tonight · any AI chat

Type this first:

“Interview me first. One question at a time. Then restate in your own words what you think my goals are and what the problem I’m trying to solve is.”

Works on your phone, too. That’s steps 1 and 2, and you’ll feel the difference on the first try.

This week · on your laptop

Scan for the free Plan It First skill: plan.myzenithconsulting.com

plan.myzenithconsulting.com

Get the skill. Free, no email.

  1. Scan with your phone. Open it on your laptop.
  2. Follow the page. It walks you through setup.
  3. Type Plan it first: and your idea.

It runs all eight steps for you. Every time.

Explain it once.

15You think & plan80AI builds5You review

Lucas Hains · Zenith Consulting · myzenithconsulting.com