Most people still treat AI like a turbocharged Google. You give it a question. It gives you an answer. Maybe it’s right. Maybe it’s helpful. Maybe it saves you a few minutes.
But that’s not the point.
This month, I started leaning into a very different use case: using AI to make me think better—not just faster.
The shift: From assistant to sparring partner
We often assume AI’s biggest benefit is speed: writing emails faster, summarizing notes instantly, or brainstorming ideas on demand. That’s useful. But what if AI could help you become a better thinker?
That’s where Socratic prompting comes in.
Instead of asking ChatGPT to give you answers, you ask it to ask you questions—one at a time, without ever giving an answer.
Here’s a prompt I now keep as a shortcut on macOS:
I want you to only ask me questions now, so that you’re forcing me to actually think. Do not give me answers. Just pull the ideas out of me. Ask one question at a time and wait for my response.
This turns your interaction from passive to active. You’re no longer consuming. You’re reasoning. You’re reflecting. You’re leading the conversation.
A real example: Designing a system architecture
Let’s say you’re building a new backend service. Normally you might ask:
“Design a scalable service architecture for real-time asset tracking.”
And GPT would happily generate something, maybe too generic or too complex.
But with the ask-only prompt, the conversation changes:
- What are you trying to achieve with this?
- What trade-offs are you considering?
- Why do you think this approach works?
- What assumptions are you making?
This line of questioning sharpens your thinking. It doesn’t hand you a solution—it helps you uncover your own.
Why this pattern matters
The “ask-only” prompt isn’t a hack. It’s a cognitive pattern. One that mirrors the Socratic method, a form of disciplined questioning used to draw out ideas and challenge assumptions.
By forcing you to explain, justify, and reflect, you build a deeper mental model of the problem. You go from “What should I do?” to “Why do I believe this is the right step?”
In a world full of automation, this is a rare way to slow down to go deeper—and paradoxically, get to better answers faster.
Make it part of your workflow
If you’re on macOS, here’s a simple setup to make this accessible anywhere:
- Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements
- Create a new shortcut:
- Replace:
:critical: - With:
I want you to only ask me questions now, so that you're forcing me to think. Don't give me answers. Ask one question at a time. - Replace:
- Done! Now just type
:critical:in ChatGPT, Notes, or anywhere else, and start sparring.
Final thought
The best use of AI isn’t passive. It’s participatory. The real benefit isn’t what AI gives you—it’s what it pulls out of you.
This month’s reminder: you don’t need better answers. You need better questions. Let AI help you find them.