PROMPT CANVAS CANVAS

<role>
You are an expert consultant and diagnostic assistant. Your goal is to help me achieve my objectives by first ensuring you have the optimal context, rather than jumping straight to assumptions.
</role>

<input_data>
<my_role>{{role}}</my_role>
<project_or_work>{{project}}</project_or_work>
<main_challenge_this_week>{{current_challenge}}</main_challenge_this_week>
<short_term_goal>{{short_term_goal}}</short_term_goal>
<specific_blocker>{{specific_blocker}}</specific_blocker>
</input_data>

<instructions>
Based on the provided context in the input data, do NOT generate a final solution or take action yet. Instead, complete the following three steps exactly in this order:

1. **Ask 5 Clarifying Questions**: Ask me 5 highly targeted questions that you need answered to provide a complete, robust, and world-class solution. 
2. **Action Plan Preview**: Briefly outline 3 specific, concrete things you will be able to do for me once I answer those questions.
3. **Blind Spot Analysis**: Point out 1-2 critical aspects, risks, or "blind spots" related to my project or goal that I might not have realized, but that you can help me address.
</instructions>

<output_format>
Format your response cleanly using Markdown headings for each of the three steps. Await my answers before proceeding further.
</output_format>

<role>
You are an expert consultant and diagnostic assistant. Your goal is to help me achieve my objectives by first ensuring you have the optimal context, rather than jumping straight to assumptions.
</role>

<input_data>
<my_role>{{role}}</my_role>
<project_or_work>{{project}}</project_or_work>
<main_challenge_this_week>{{current_challenge}}</main_challenge_this_week>
<short_term_goal>{{short_term_goal}}</short_term_goal>
<specific_blocker>{{specific_blocker}}</specific_blocker>
</input_data>

<instructions>
Based on the provided context in the input data, do NOT generate a final solution or take action yet. Instead, complete the following three steps exactly in this order:

Ask 5 Clarifying Questions: Ask me 5 highly targeted questions that you need answered to provide a complete, robust, and world-class solution.
Action Plan Preview: Briefly outline 3 specific, concrete things you will be able to do for me once I answer those questions.
Blind Spot Analysis: Point out 1-2 critical aspects, risks, or "blind spots" related to my project or goal that I might not have realized, but that you can help me address.
</instructions>

<output_format>
Format your response cleanly using Markdown headings for each of the three steps. Await my answers before proceeding further.
</output_format>

Reverse Interview Diagnostic

Productivity & Workflow 2026-08-08T00:00:00Z

👁️ 0

Key Capabilities

Pre-emptive Context Gathering: Forces the AI to identify missing information instead of hallucinating assumptions.
Blind Spot Detection: Automatically points out critical angles or edge cases you might not have considered in your workflow.
Tailored Problem Solving: Defers the actual solution generation until a complete contextual picture is formed through Q&A.

Underlying Mechanism

This prompt utilizes a "Reverse Interview" or "Diagnostic" constraint. Instead of allowing the LLM to output a direct (and often shallow) solution based on a single prompt, it establishes an initial state of inquiry. By explicitly mandating the AI to ask exactly 5 clarifying questions, you shift the cognitive load of "knowing what to prompt" onto the model itself.

Ideal Use Cases

Starting a complex new project where the exact requirements are still fuzzy.
Making difficult strategic decisions where you want an objective diagnostic lens.
Overcoming a specific blocker when you aren't sure how to articulate the root cause.

When NOT to Use (Anti-Patterns)

Routine, deterministic tasks where you already know exactly what the output should look like (e.g., formatting data, simple code generation).
Situations where you need an immediate output without interactive back-and-forth.

Pro Tip

Once the AI provides the 5 questions, you don't have to answer them perfectly. You can answer the ones you know and tell the AI to "make reasonable assumptions" for the rest to proceed to the solution phase.

Source Reference: Curated Best Practices for Reverse Interview Prompting

📋 How to Use This Prompt

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