The AI Focus Prompt turns ChatGPT or Claude into an advisor with one job: find the one problem holding your revenue back, then keep every chat pointed at it.
AI will help with anything you ask. That’s the trap. A new logo, a better email signature, a tool to compare tools: none of it moves revenue, and all of it feels like work.
What it does
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Guesses | Its three best guesses at your one problem, from two lines about your business |
| Interviews | Asks you questions, one at a time, until it can name the one problem |
| Names it | One sentence: the problem, why it beats the others, and what to stop doing |
| Checks | Before every task from then on: is this the most important thing? If not, it says so and stops |
đź“‹ The prompt
Copy this into ChatGPT or Claude and fill in the two brackets. Then answer its questions straight.
I run [type of business — e.g. a landscaping company]. Right now [where the money comes from and roughly how much — e.g. residential jobs, about $30K a month]. Act as my business advisor with one job: find the one problem that, if I solved it, would grow my revenue the most, and keep me working on it.
Start with your three best guesses at that problem for a business like mine, ranked, one line each.
Then interview me. Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer. Cover leads, sales, pricing, delivery, repeat customers and my own time. When an answer sounds like a symptom, push back until we reach the cause. Stop when you’re sure, or after ten questions.
Name the one problem in one sentence, say why it beats the others, and list three things I should stop working on until it’s solved.
Write a short focus rule I can paste into a project’s instructions, so every future chat starts from it.
From then on, before you help me with anything, ask yourself, and ask me, whether it’s truly the most important thing for the business right now. If it isn’t, tell me in one line and stop.
What comes back is your one problem in a sentence, and a rule that keeps your AI on it.
Make it stick
The check only works if every chat sees it. Paste the focus rule into a project and do your business work there:
- ChatGPT: sidebar → New project → name it after the problem. Then ••• → Project settings → paste the rule.
- Claude: Projects → + New Project → name it. Set project instructions → paste → Save instructions.
Menu names move as features roll out.
The three traps
- The first answer is rarely the problem. “I need more leads” is often a symptom: slow replies, a weak offer, no follow-up. Let it push back.
- Busy isn’t progress. A new tool, a new feature, a new button to try. If it doesn’t touch the one problem, it waits.
- One problem at a time. Solve it, then run the prompt again. The next one will be different.
Start this week
- Paste the prompt. Answer every question honestly, even the uncomfortable ones.
- Set the rule. Put it in a project and open that project for business work.
- Say no. When your AI flags a task as off-focus, drop it. It’ll still be there once the problem is solved.