TW Tony Wood
Back to First Steps

Lesson 5

Add rules and budget.

We learn that rules are how we make the answer fit our life.

Start this lesson Open wall planner

What we are learning

Tell the AI what must happen, what must not happen, and what matters most.

We learn that rules are how we make the answer fit our life.

We keep the task small on purpose. If one part works, tick it. If one part gets stuck, write that down. Both are progress because both tell us what to do next.

Simple version

Do the next small thing. Tick what happened. Stop before the screen wins.

Support

Read it your way.

Steps in this lesson

Follow these in order.

  1. 1

    Choose three must-haves

    For example: bread, butter, coffee. These are fixed rules.

  2. 2

    Add one limit

    Try a budget, a time limit, a shop limit, or an energy limit.

  3. 3

    Ask it to work inside the rules

    Say: Make me a plan that keeps these must-haves and stays under this limit.

  4. 4

    Loosen or tighten

    If the rules make it impossible, change one. That is not failure. That is design.

Done when

Tick the smallest true box.

Open wall planner

These ticks are saved on this browser, so they should still be here when you come back.

Course overview

Where this lesson fits.

Back to overview
  1. 0

    We start where we are

    Ask ChatGPT one harmless question, then come back and tick the box.

    Open lesson

  2. 1

    Ask one safe question

    Use ChatGPT like a friendly search box, then ask one follow-up.

    Open lesson

  3. 2

    Talk instead of type

    Use voice, dictation, or the microphone so typing is not the gatekeeper.

    Open lesson

  4. 3

    Make a shopping helper

    Turn one ordinary shopping list into something organised and useful.

    Open lesson

  5. 4

    Keep things in one place

    Give the work a home so you can come back without starting again.

    Open lesson

  6. 5

    Add rules and budget

    Tell the AI what must happen, what must not happen, and what matters most.

    You are here

  7. 6

    Decide what good looks like

    Define words like healthy, tidy, useful, cheap, or safe in your own words.

    Open lesson

  8. 7

    Try it somewhere else

    Use the same method for a room, garden, recipe, safe hobby task, or work shadow example.

    Open lesson

For helpers

Stay beside them, not ahead of them.

Helper note

Rules are a confidence tool. They show the learner they are allowed to say what matters.

The learner should do the clicking, speaking, typing, and ticking where they can. The confidence has to belong to their hands.

Open the blockers crib sheet