This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Viα»t Anh PhαΊ‘m
Growing up, I was obsessed with those old Hong Kong mafia flicks.
The boss never needed to shout.
Just a tilt of the head. A silent stare. Maybe a small gesture⦠and his team was already moving.
No noise. No fuss. Just instant action.
What Does That Have to Do With AI?
Turns out, getting an AI model to follow your intention smoothly⦠kind of works the same way.
Not with shouting (long-winded prompts),
But with quiet precision.
The key?
Design your own shorthand.
Make your prompts work like code.
Here’s How I Do It
Instead of writing full instructions like:
“Please translate this sentence into Arabic, using a polite and simple tone.”
I define internal syntax that only I need to understand:
- “> means: translate into the last-used language, keep it gentle”
- “< means: translate back to English”
Now I type:
“> Oh I see”
Thatβs it. Fast, readable, and it just works.
Why It Works
Saves time
Reduces friction
Keeps your mind focused on what you want, not how to say it
Think of it like building muscle memory for your prompts.
Instead of copy-pasting or repeating yourself⦠your custom syntax does the heavy lifting.
Bonus: QuickAsk AI Makes It Even Easier
QuickAsk AI now supports:
- Prompt aliases built into the UI
- Sticky translations and note-based memory
- And no switching tabs β just highlight and go
Try it here β https://quickask.me
Install from the Chrome Web Store: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/quickask-ai-d%E1%BB%8Bch-ho%E1%BA%B7c-h%E1%BB%8Fi/jnejgogaflifpdgecjfhpgdiabbeipag)
Prompts donβt have to be long.
They just have to be yours.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Viα»t Anh PhαΊ‘m