The Law of the Loop

Tag the parts of the loop so each round has something precise to act on: <aim> at the top is what you will later read the answer against, and the instruction goes last, where Claude follows it most reliably. Two features change the mechanics. Editing an earlier message makes Claude answer that version afresh, which is how you abandon a wrong turn instead of arguing your way out of it. And an Artifact gives the loop one living document - you refine the same table or letter in place rather than scrolling past four dead drafts. The Reuse step has a real home here: your winning prompt belongs in a Project's instructions, so every new chat in that Project begins from your best version.

From the book Loop in one chat while the work keeps improving; to try a different direction, edit an earlier message and Claude will answer that version afresh. Keep your winning templates in a Project's instructions or files, so every new chat starts from your best prompt.

• <aim> first, instruction last - Claude follows the final instruction best.
• Edit an earlier message to abandon a wrong turn cleanly.
• Keep the work in one Artifact and refine it in place.
• Ask: "has any change I requested made this worse?"
• Store the finished prompt in a Project's instructions.

<my_syllabus>
[Photograph or type out the contents page of your Science textbook here - every chapter name, in order. Long reference material goes first; the instruction comes at the end.]
</my_syllabus>

<my_situation>
Class 10 CBSE in Patna, boards on [exam date], four weeks away. On school days I get 2 hours; on Sundays, 5. Chemical reactions and carbon compounds defeat me. Biology I already know.
</my_situation>

<what_good_looks_like>
Something printable I will still be following in week three. Week, Day, Topic, Task - where the task is read, practise or test, never "revise". A mock paper each Sunday and time that evening to mark it. Plain words. Nothing encouraging.
</what_good_looks_like>

<if_unsure>
Use only the chapters listed above. If something in my list is unfamiliar to you, ask me rather than substituting a chapter you do know.
</if_unsure>

<task>
Before the plan, think aloud for three or four lines about which chapters deserve the most hours and why - I want to see your reasoning so I can argue with it. Then build the plan as an Artifact, which we will edit in place as I correct it.
</task>

<context>
I run a small ladies' tailoring shop in Aminabad, Lucknow. My customers are regulars - many have been coming for years, and they know my work.
</context>

<message_contents>
Last date for new orders: [date]
Suit stitching starts at Rs [price]
Urgent orders cost extra
Please bring a well-fitting sample suit
</message_contents>

<constraints>
Under 80 words.
Simple Hindi in Devanagari, with an English version below.
Warm and respectful, as though I am speaking to them myself - not an advertisement.
No "Dear Customer". No corporate phrasing.
</constraints>

<task>
Write the WhatsApp message about Eid orders.

Before the message, give me one line naming the single hardest choice you made - what you left out to stay under 80 words. That is the line I will want to argue with, and I would rather see it than discover it missing.
</task>

<aim>
A 5-day Varanasi itinerary my wife and I can actually follow, as a day-by-day table, from Coimbatore in [month].
</aim>

<us>
Both retired, late sixties. Travelling by train, or a direct flight if there is one.
A calm hotel near the ghats.
Maximum two outings a day, and rest after lunch every single day.
No early-morning rush. This is not a sightseeing sprint.
</us>

<must_include>
Kashi Vishwanath darshan. A Ganga aarti. A boat ride.
</must_include>

<decided_against>
Sarnath. We have considered it and said no. Do not suggest it, and do not offer it as an optional extra.
</decided_against>

<format>
Day | Morning | Rest | Evening | Notes.
Then rough travel options from Coimbatore, with an honest note on how long each takes.
Then a checklist of things to confirm before booking.
</format>

<when_unsure>
Mark any timing, fee or booking rule you are not confident about as [confirm]. I will check those myself. Gaps are fine; wrong darshan timings are not.
</when_unsure>

<task>
Produce the itinerary as an Artifact so we can refine the same document together.
</task>