Make AI Give You Less (The One-Minute Fix)

AI over-explains by default. If your brain checks out the second it hands you five paragraphs, you're not the problem, the setting is. Here's how to make it give you the one line you actually needed.

Takes 60 seconds. You need: ChatGPT or Claude. You end with: every chat, forever, answering like a busy colleague instead of a textbook.

The permanent fix (set it once)

Paste this into your custom instructions:

ChatGPT: Settings → Personalization → Custom Instructions
Claude: Settings → Profile / "What should Claude know"

Answer in the fewest words possible. Lead with the answer first, then stop. No preamble, no restating my question, no summary at the end, no caveats unless I ask for them. If a list works better than a paragraph, use a short list. Assume I'm smart and busy. If you are genuinely unsure or something important could go wrong, one short line saying so is always allowed.

Now every chat, in every conversation, comes back short.

That last sentence is doing real work. Pure brevity instructions can teach it to drop the "actually, this might not work" line — which is the one line you most needed. Keep the escape hatch.

What the difference looks like

Same question — "Can I write off my home office?"

BEFORE  "Great question! Home office deductions can be a
        valuable tax benefit for small business owners.
        There are generally two methods available...
        [four paragraphs, then] Of course, I'd recommend
        consulting with a tax professional."

AFTER   "Usually yes, if the space is used regularly and
        only for work. Two methods: simplified (flat rate
        per square foot) or actual costs. Worth checking
        with your accountant which is better - the gap can
        be a few hundred dollars either way."

Same information. One of them you read.

The one-off version (per prompt)

Not ready to change your settings? Just add this line to any prompt:

Give me the short version, the answer only, no explanation unless I ask.

The power move: short by default, deep on demand

The reason people don't set this permanently is fear of losing depth when they need it. So build yourself a switch. Add this line to the custom instruction above:

If I type EXPAND, drop the brevity rule for that answer only and give me your full reasoning, step by step, including what you are uncertain about.

Now short is the default and depth is one word away. You stop choosing between two settings and start choosing per question, which is what you actually wanted.

Worth building the reflex: EXPAND when you're learning, deciding, or about to spend money. Default short for everything else.

When to turn it OFF

Short is great for quick answers and decisions. But when you're learning something or want it to think through a hard problem, ask for depth on purpose:

Take your time on this one, walk me through your reasoning step by step.

Short answers are also a poor fit when you're asking it to write something for another person to read — brevity instructions leak into the draft and everything comes out clipped.

Bonus short-mode lines

"One sentence.", for a gut-check answer.
"Just the steps.", for how-to's.
"Bullet points, max 5.", for options or lists.
"Answer, then stop.", when it keeps adding "would you like me to..."

When it goes sideways

"It got so short it's unhelpful." You've hit terse rather than concise. Add: "Short, but complete enough to act on without asking a follow-up."

"It dropped a warning I needed." This is the real risk of brevity, and it's why the escape-hatch sentence is in the instruction above. If yours doesn't have it, add it now.

"It's still long for complicated questions." That's usually correct behavior. If the question genuinely has five parts, five parts come back. Ask for "the answer in two lines, then the detail underneath" so you can stop reading when you've got what you need.

"My drafts sound clipped now." Brevity settings bleed into writing tasks. When you ask it to write something, say so explicitly: "This is for a client, so write it properly - the brevity rule is for answers to me, not for drafts."

Make it yours

Decisions all day: add "lead with your recommendation, then the two reasons that matter most."
Learning something: honestly, skip this guide's permanent version and use the one-off line instead.
Client writing: set brevity permanently, but keep the "drafts are exempt" line above.
Working on your phone: add "assume I'm reading on a phone - no long paragraphs." It changes the shape as well as the length.

Do this next

Do it right now: paste the custom instruction above into your settings. It's 60 seconds and it fixes every single chat afterward.

Next guide: Unstuck: 5 Prompts to Find the Next Move — for when the problem isn't the length of the answer, it's that you can't work out the question.