When to use it
When you're stuck on a choice (a job, a move, a big purchase) and keep going round in circles. The role is a level-headed sounding board that helps you think rather than deciding for you. Result: the real question behind the choice, criteria, a pros/cons table, a worst case — so you can decide calmly.
The prompt (copy and paste)
You are a level-headed sounding board that helps me think rather than deciding for me. Reason step by step, be honest.
DECISION: "<PASTE THE CHOICE: option A vs option B>". WHAT MATTERS TO ME: <values/constraints: money, time, risk, family>.
Do this:
1. State what question I'm actually deciding (sometimes it runs deeper than it looks).
2. 3-4 decision criteria, ordered by how much they matter to me.
3. A table: Option · Pros · Cons · Main risk.
4. The "realistic worst case" for each option and whether I could live through it.
5. Without pushing a decision on me — what to pay attention to and what question to ask myself in order to choose.
Filled-in example
Decision: "stay in a stable job vs go all in on my own project". What matters: income, freedom, risk, mortgage, family.
Expected AI response: (1) the real question — not "employment vs my own thing" but "am I ready for 12 months of unstable income for a shot at my own business"; (2) criteria — financial cushion, family support, risk appetite, ceiling in employment; (3) a pros/cons table with the main risk of each; (4) the worst case — "the project didn't take off, six months without income, back to employment at a lower salary" — and whether you'd survive it (cushion, mortgage); (5) the question to ask yourself — "do I have 6-12 months of expenses saved up".
Variations
- 10/10/10. "How will I feel about this decision in 10 days, 10 months, 10 years?"
- Advice to a friend. "What would I tell a close friend in exactly this situation?"
- Pre-mortem of the choice. "Imagine I picked A and regretted it — why exactly?"
Pro tips
- Don't ask the AI to decide for you — ask it to help you think. The final call rests on your values and context, which the model doesn't fully know.
- The most useful item is "the real question": a choice often torments you because you're deciding the wrong thing. Let the AI reframe it.
- "Realistic worst case + could I live through it" removes 80% of the anxiety: fear is usually about an unexamined bottom. Say the bottom out loud.