How agentic AI changes the way you actually work, and what to do about it today.
We’re past the chatbot phase. AI is moving from “answer my question” to “execute my goal.” Systems like Perplexity’s new Computer product don’t rely on a single model they orchestrate reasoning engines, research tools, memory, and generators to work in parallel toward a defined outcome.
You don’t need enterprise software to think this way. You need a different mindset.
The core shift: instructions → outcomes
Old approach: you break tasks down and feed them one at a time. Agentic approach: you define the goal, constraints, and context, then let AI handle execution.
Instead of: “Write me an email. Now make it shorter. Now add a CTA.” Try: “Draft a cold outreach email for a SaaS founder targeting mid-size e-commerce teams. Goal: book a 20-min call. Tone: direct, no corporate fluff. Under 120 words.”
One prompt. Better result. Less back-and-forth.
4 things you can do differently starting today
1. Give goals, not steps. Before you type, ask: what’s the actual outcome I want? Define it fully — audience, constraints, format, tone. The more complete your brief, the less you’ll iterate.
2. Build reusable workflows, not one-off prompts. If you’re doing something more than twice — LinkedIn posts, weekly reports, client updates — turn it into a template. Input → Task 1 → Task 2 → Output. Save it. Reuse it. That’s orchestration, not prompting.
3. Run parallel threads. Open two or three chats. Give each a different angle on the same problem. Compare. Merge the best parts. You’ve just simulated multi-model thinking — no special tools needed.
4. Invest in context. AI performs dramatically better when it knows your situation. Keep a short “context doc” — your role, goals, audience, tone preferences — and paste it at the start of important sessions. Treat it like onboarding a collaborator, not querying a search engine.
The practical filter
Before you start any AI task, ask three questions:
- Does this take more than 10 minutes?
- Does it have multiple steps?
- Is there a clear end result?
If yes to all three, don’t prompt it. Design it. Write out the objective, the subtasks, and what “done” looks like. Then execute.
The bottom line
Your leverage with AI doesn’t come from knowing clever prompts. It comes from getting good at defining goals clearly, breaking work into logical steps, and evaluating output critically.
The people who get the most out of this technology won’t be the ones who type fastest. They’ll be the ones who think clearest.
