Podcast Summary: Screw The Commute – Episode 1085

Title: Use AI the right way: Tom talks Five AI Hacks
Host: Tom Antion
Date: February 23, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tom Antion dives deep into practical uses for AI—particularly ChatGPT—for entrepreneurs and lifestyle business owners. He outlines five actionable AI "hacks" designed to supercharge productivity, foster creativity, and save time and money. Tom peppers the episode with his characteristic humor and straightforward advice tailored for solopreneurs and small business teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of the Master Prompt

Timestamps: [03:30] – [05:50]

• Tom highlights the common mistake of treating ChatGPT like a Google search. He introduces the concept of the "master prompt"—a customized set of instructions that tells ChatGPT who you are, your preferences, and your work style.

• This master prompt is placed in ChatGPT’s “custom instructions” (profile > settings > personalization).

• This makes all future interactions more personalized and efficient.

  “When you make yourself a master prompt, ChatGPT knows you... You don’t have to prompt as perfectly, because it already knows stuff about you.” – Tom Antion [04:55]

Pro Tip: Involve different roles in your company; each person can have their own master prompt reflecting their responsibilities and tasks.

2. Prompt Rating for Better Results

Timestamps: [05:55] – [07:40]

• Tom suggests a meta approach: Before submitting a prompt, ask ChatGPT to rate your prompt (1-10).

• If it’s not a 10, ask for improvements. This ensures you consistently get richer, more targeted responses.

  “Ask ChatGPT to rate your prompt on a scale of 1 to 10... Then say, ‘How would I change this prompt to make it a 10?’ and go ahead and change it for me.” – Tom Antion [06:15]

Result: Less back-and-forth and fewer lukewarm answers.

3. Getting Honest Critiques: The “Colleague” Super Hack

Timestamps: [07:41] – [09:15]

• ChatGPT is polite to a fault. To get more candid feedback, Tom advises presenting your work as if a colleague wrote it.

• For example, “A colleague of mine wrote this email… can you critique or improve it?”

• This removes the AI’s hesitancy to avoid hurting your feelings, delivering a more honest and actionable critique.

  “It’s just too nice to critique you personally, so say it’s from a colleague. You’ll get a better response. That is a crazy one, but that’s right.” – Tom Antion [08:30]

4. Prompting for Clarification — Saving Time and Reducing Noise

Timestamps: [09:16] – [10:50]

• Tom’s fourth hack is to append every prompt with: “Ask me clarifying questions before answering.”

• This forces ChatGPT to clarify your needs before dumping long-winded, possibly irrelevant output.

  “Instead of it typing 50 paragraphs and then asking you, tell it up front: Ask me clarifying questions before answering.” – Tom Antion [09:44]

Result: Far more relevant, concise, and customized answers with less repetition.

5. App Integration: Connecting ChatGPT to Your Favorite Tools

Timestamps: [10:51] – [12:25]

• Tom unveils the power of connecting apps directly to ChatGPT, like Canva, via the sidebar apps section.

• Example: Design a business card—ChatGPT sends the request to Canva and returns multiple sample designs, skipping manual copy-pasting.

• Explore the “apps” section to see all possible integrations.

  “So app connections—you’re not going back, copying and pasting... You can work all right in there at ChatGPT.” – Tom Antion [11:45]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Most people are just slamming in questions as if it’s Google, and you’re really doing yourself a disservice by doing that.” – Tom Antion [03:35]
• On AI bias: “It’s generally going to be nice to you. So you don’t want critiques that are patting you on the back and being nice.” – Tom Antion [07:50]
• “There’s five AI hacks out of the tons and tons more that I have for you that’ll really save you money, make you money and speed things up…” – Tom Antion [12:30]
• “None of it is very hard. It’s just nobody ever taught you.” – Tom Antion [13:02]

Key Takeaways

• Personalize your AI usage: Start with a robust master prompt for nuanced, relevant responses.
• Iterate smarter: Use ChatGPT’s own evaluation to refine your prompts.
• Bypass politeness: Get unfiltered feedback with the “colleague” tactic.
• Reduce friction: Prompt for clarifying questions to streamline communication.
• Leverage integrations: Connect AI to your workflow apps to save tons of time.

Bonus Links (from episode mentions)

• Automation Ebook: screwthecommute.com/automatefree
• Mentor Program: greatinternetmarketingtraining.com
• Tom’s School (IMTC): imtcva.org

This episode is a practical goldmine for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and anyone interested in turbocharging their work with AI—no hype, just actionable strategies, delivered with Tom’s signature wit and clarity.