The Meta Moment - How Good Prompting Teaches You Good Prompting
🤯 Plot twist: I just experienced the perfect prompt engineering lesson… while learning prompt engineering.
Here’s What Happened
Step 1: I asked Claude for prompt engineering advice
Step 2: Got 7 solid techniques
Step 3: Felt overwhelmed (sound familiar?)
Step 4: Asked for help making it manageable
Step 5: Realized I was DOING the thing I was learning
The Meta Moment
My follow-up request was textbook prompt engineering…
✅ Context: “I’m feeling overwhelmed.”
✅ Clear constraint: “This is a lot to remember.”
✅ Specific: “Give me the 3 most impactful things I can do…”
✅ Iteration: “from your original suggestions.”
The Real Lesson
Start with the “Big Three” habits…
Be laser-specific (biggest immediate impact)
Use examples (easiest to remember)
Iterate, don't restart (saves time, builds on what works)
Master these three first. Then add others gradually.
The Irony
I learned more about good prompting from my second question to Claude than my first.
Sometimes the best way to understand a concept is to accidentally demonstrate it. The student became the… well, slightly better student. 😅