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Published January 16, 2026

"AI Didn't Work For Me" Before I Broke Down the Job

This issue looks at a simple shift that changed the writer’s experience with AI: moving from broad requests to clearly separated tasks. Instead of expecting one prompt to handle an entire job, the piece explores how breaking work into smaller parts can make outputs more useful, reliable, and easier to evaluate. It’s a...

"AI Didn't Work For Me" Before I Broke Down the Job

In this issue

  • Why broad, all-in-one AI requests often lead to disappointing results.
  • How dividing a job into smaller steps can improve usefulness.
  • A workflow mindset that treats AI as support, not a full replacement.
  • What changed when the task was structured before asking the model.