Kia ora, Namaskaram 🙏🏾
When I started using AI, I assumed the first idea was the best idea.
Now I always prompt for 20 ideas — because, like humans, the AI’s best ideas appear when you prioritise quantity over quality.
This prompt was inspired by Ideaflow, written by two professors from Stanford’s design school.
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The quality of your ideas is a function of the quantity of your ideas.
Jeremy Utley, co-author of Ideaflow
📚 Evidence: Jeremy Utley & Perry Klebahn, Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters (Penguin, 2022)
Why I believe this prompt works:
— Prioritises creative thinking without judgment
— Builds a pipeline of ideas for a business to test
— Pushes past predictable outputs from AI
— Ideas 10 to 20 are where humans often struggle for originality
— Leverages AI’s speed to stretch your creative range
Evidence-Based Prompt #1: Quantity Ideas > Quality Ideas
📝 My example prompt
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Generate 20 unique ideas for building a daily habit of 13-minute meditation.
🤖 AI Output
1. Anchor to an Existing Habit:
Meditate immediately after brushing your teeth in the morning.
2. Set a 13-Minute Timer:
Label the timer with the why e.g., “Relaxation time.”
3. Use a Signature Soundtrack:
Choose one ambient track you only use during meditation. Your brain will associate it with calm over time.
4. Put a Sticky Note on Your Phone:
“First me, then screen.” It’s a micro-friction cue to meditate before unlocking.
5. Two-Person Accountability:
Find a “Mindfulness Buddy” and text each other one word after meditating daily. No explanations. Just proof of follow-through.
6. Chain It With an Easy Win:
Do a 1-minute stretch, then meditate. You trick your brain into a “momentum mindset.”
7. Tie It to Sunrise or Sunset:
Use natural light as your external trigger — meditate when the sky changes.
8. Create a ‘Stillness Spot’:
Designate a chair or cushion only for meditation. Physical spaces build behavioural boundaries.
9. Break It into Mini-Blocks:
Too tired? Break it into 3 x 4-minute sessions across the day. You still hit your 13 minutes.
10. Snap a Post-Meditation Photo:
Each day, take a photo of your relaxed face or view post-meditation. Track calm, not just streaks.
11. Log a Single Word:
After each session, write one word that captures your state of mind. Build a word cloud over time.
12. Lock Distractions in an App Jail:
Use app blockers like Forest or Freedom to create 13-minute “peace windows.”
13. Use a Random Cue Generator:
Write 7 different prompts (e.g. “Breathe before breakfast,” “Pause at 2pm”) on slips of paper. Draw one each morning.
14. Make It a Ritual, Not a Task:
Light a candle or ring a bell beforehand. Create a sensory cue to mark the sacredness.
15. Follow a Birdsong Cue:
Every time you hear birdsong, treat it as a cue to check your breath and prep for practice.
16. Make It the ‘TV Break’ from Work:
Set a recurring 2pm alarm and step away like it's a reset break.
17. Visualise Your ‘After State’:
Before meditating, visualise how calm and sharp you’ll feel afterward. Emotionally anchor the future benefit.
18. Book it in as “CEO time”:
Add it to your calendar as “CEO of Calm: Daily Briefing.”
19. Pair It With a Daily Ritual Drink:
Make tea, then meditate while it cools. The act of waiting becomes mindful too.
20. Use a “Don’t Break the Chain” Tracker:
Draw 30 circles. Fill one each day you meditate. Watch momentum and sunk cost bias build your habit.