How I got better at the wrong AI skill And why my prompts kept getting longer I
By Lucas Storm · October 14, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
How I got better at the wrong AI skill
And why my prompts kept getting longer
I thought better prompts would lead to better results.
For months, I focused on prompt engineering, collecting templates and refining instructions.
My prompts improved.
The results barely changed.
Because better wording could only take me so far. What was missing was context.
So I changed how I worked with AI.
Instead of explaining everything upfront, I let Claude ask questions before starting.
I connected tools to the places where work actually happens.
I turned repeated instructions into reusable skills and gave it examples of my best work instead of another collection of prompts.
Then I made the invisible rules visible.
Decision criteria. Quality standards. Clear examples of what good work looks like.
The difference showed up in fewer revisions, better first drafts and more consistent results.
The biggest lesson for me:
AI works better when you improve the system around it, not just the instructions you give it.
Give it a clear outcome, the right context and enough room to make sound judgments.
Because the next AI advantage may not belong to people who write the best prompts.
It may belong to those who know how to design the best working environment for AI.
Where are you putting your effort: better prompts or better systems around them?
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