Write lean prompts

Most prompts are 20–30% waste

Most prompts have at least 20–30% waste — repeated context, over-explaining, unnecessary caveats. Cutting these saves tokens on every single request.

Common waste patterns

• Restating context Claude already has from the system prompt
• Over-explaining the obvious
• Politeness padding ("Could you please possibly...")
• Repeating instructions that belong in the system prompt

Before vs after

Before: *"I would really appreciate it if you could please take a look at the following text and maybe provide some feedback on how it could potentially be improved in terms of clarity and readability..."*

After: *"Improve this text for clarity and readability:"*