Everyday productivity
Make your AI plan last longer
You will have five habits to apply to your next chat and a way to see which one saves you most.
Before you start
- An AI assistant you use daily
- A rough idea of when you usually hit your limit
Why limits arrive early
Assistants re-read the whole chat each time you send a message. A long chat costs more than a short one, and big attachments cost more still. The limit is usually about volume, not about how many messages you send.
Plans and limits differ between tools and change often, so check your plan’s help page for how yours is counted.
Five habits that help
- Start a new chat for a new job, instead of continuing a long one.
- Ask for the shortest useful answer, for example “in five bullets”.
- Send one clear request with everything needed, not ten small ones.
- Attach only the pages you need, not the whole document.
- Use a smaller or faster model for simple jobs if your tool offers a choice.
Carry context in a note, not a long chat
Rather than keeping a chat alive for days, write a short project note and paste it into a fresh chat. The guide on memory notes shows how.
Answer in no more than [number] bullet points. Give the answer first, then one line of reasoning. If you need more detail from me, ask one question instead of guessing.
See which habit helps
For a week, note the time of day you hit your limit. Change one habit at a time and watch whether the time moves later. Keep what works and drop what does not.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Keeping one chat open for days
- Attaching a long file when two pages would do
- Using the largest model for every small job
- Changing five habits at once, so you cannot tell which helped
Final checklist
- I start a new chat for a new job
- I ask for short answers
- I attach only what is needed
- I tracked when I hit my limit for a week