KERNEL — Keep it simple

Distillation — one idea, in my words

Write the irreducible insight. 50–120 words.
State the claim/definition in one sentence first.
Remove source phrasing; keep mechanism or rule.
If you feel the need for “and,” split into another atom.

A prompt with one clear goal beats long context dumps. State the outcome in a short imperative sentence and omit everything that doesn’t move the model toward that single output. This reduces ambiguity, latency, and token waste while improving focus and accuracy.

Why it matters – 1-3 bullets on utility, mechanism, implication.

What decision does this change?
What prediction does this enable?
What failure does this prevent?

Cuts tokens and time through lower branching.
Reduces contradictory constraints hidden in long prose.
Makes success/failure obvious.

Links

Does this collide/agree with an existing atom?
Add at least one forward link to a molecule/canonical note.
Add one tag-like topic (2–5 terms, not a dump).

Broader topic: #promptengineering
Related atoms: KERNEL — Narrow scope
Upstream source note:

Source excerpt (optional)

Paste exact quote or figure caption.

"500 words of context" vs "one clear goal" → faster, cheaper.

Citation block (optional)

Source: {{source}} • Page: {{page}} • Key: {{citekey}}

volodith. “After 1000 Hours of Prompt Engineering, I Found the 6 Patterns That Actually Matter.” Reddit, r/PromptEngineering, September 29, 2025. https://www.reddit.com/r/PromptEngineering/comments/1nt7x7v/after_1000_hours_of_prompt_engineering_i_found/.