AI Basics
The DIY guide
Six short lessons you do at your own desk, with a made-up company to practice on. Start here if AI still feels new.
Before you start
This workbook is for one person, at their own desk, with an AI tool open. No class, no presenter. Read a short lesson, then try it right away.
You will practice on Ridgeline Landscape & Hardscape, a made-up company. Every name and number in its files is fictional, so it's safe to upload to any AI tool.
The practice files
- weekly-sales-orders.xlsxCompleted jobs, estimates and a revenue summary
- customer-feedback-export.csvCustomer reviews, emails and calls
- team-updates-week-40.docxNotes from each crew and the office
- review-instructions.docxHow the weekly review should be written
- last-week-business-review.pdfA finished example review to match
Every lesson has boxes to write in. Your answers save in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Ask well
Clear asks get clear answers.
AI does what you say, not what you mean. A vague ask gets a vague answer.
A good ask says what you want, who it's for, how long it should be, and what to leave out.
Try it
Open customer-feedback-export.csv in your AI tool. First try the vague ask. Then try the clear one. Compare.
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Use CRIT
Four parts of a good ask: Context, Role, Interview, Task.
The four parts
Context: the background. Who you are, what's going on, what files it has.
Role: who it should act as, like an office manager or a sharp reviewer.
Interview: tell it to ask you questions first.
Task: exactly what you want back, and in what shape.
Try it
Mrs. Hollis left a 1-star review (FB-7006). Use CRIT to write a reply and a callback plan.
Let it interview you
You're the expert. Let it pull what it needs out of your head.
Most bad answers come from missing details. Instead of guessing what to include, tell the AI to ask you.
Add one line to any prompt: Ask me 3 to 5 questions first, one at a time.
Try it
Dana says Crew B needs a third person by mid-October. Let the AI interview you before it writes the job post.
Brief it like a new hire
Give it what you'd give a new office manager on day one.
A new hire needs the files, the instructions and an example of good work. So does AI.
Upload all 5 Ridgeline files. The finished review (last-week-business-review.pdf) is the example it should match.
Try it
Upload all 5 practice files and run the review prompt.
Check its work
Trust it, then check it.
AI can sound sure and still be wrong. Ask it to show sources, and check a few numbers yourself.
Good checks: does the total add up? Do two files disagree? Is anything counted twice?
Try it
Ask the AI to double-check its own review. Then do the challenge on the next page yourself.
Hand it off and schedule it
It runs. You review.
Once a task works, save it and put it on a schedule. Most tools now have scheduled tasks.
Keep a person in the loop: the AI drafts, you check before anything goes to a customer.
Try it
Turn the weekly review into a scheduled task in your tool. Set the time zone. Pause or delete it when you're done practicing.
Find the 3 planted problems
We hid three problems in the Ridgeline files on purpose. A good weekly review should catch all three. Try to find them with your AI tool before you look at the answer key below.
Reveal the answer key
- Duplicate invoice. INV-4105 (Kowalski, Mulch & bed refresh, $750) is in the Jobs sheet twice. Counted once, revenue is $22,700. With the duplicate, the raw total is $23,450.
- Summary total doesn't add up. The Summary tab says $23,900, but its own rows add to $22,700. It's $1,200 too high. The office typed it by hand.
- Angry review. FB-7006 is a 1-star from Mrs. Hollis: broken sprinkler head, debris, no callback. The team notes confirm it, and two voicemails weren't returned.
Bonus finds: a 2-star about skipped edges (FB-7015) and a 3-star about an invoice higher than the estimate (FB-7009).
Now swap in your own business
You've done it on Ridgeline. Now do it on yours. Start small and keep private data out until you trust the setup.
Pick one weekly report you already make. Gather the files. Write the instructions. Find or write one good example.
Your 7-day plan
Fifteen minutes a day is enough. The goal is one real task handed off by the end of the week.
What's next
Learn the basics. Explore the possibilities.
You just did the first step on our path: Understand. Here's the whole path.
- Understand
- Learn AI fundamentals, remove intimidation, and build confidence. You just did this.
- Apply
- Use practical workflows, assessments, and Second Brains to save time and uncover value.
- Explore
- Follow AI in the Wild, our real-world lab in Jefferson, Ohio. We test AI on real projects and publish what worked and what failed on YouTube and Instagram.
Your next step
- Book a free 20-minute callTalk it through with Curt, a real person. No pressure, no sales pitch.
- Open the Prompt LibraryShort guides that go deeper, one skill at a time.
- Take the 5-minute Quick CheckSee where AI could give you time back.
- Watch AI in the WildOur real-world lab in Jefferson, Ohio, on YouTube and Instagram.
Time is your most valuable currency.
Built on ideas from Sabrina Ramonov's 5 Stages of AI Mastery and her free Practical AI practice files.
CRIT prompting (Context, Role, Interview, Task) from Geoff Woods.
Practical guidance reviewed November 2026. Start simple and test on your own tasks. No guaranteed results.
The practice company and its files are fictional. Keep real customer data out until you trust your setup.
The kit download holds the printable workbook, this guide for offline use and the 5 practice files.
Want help with this for you or your team? Book a free 20-minute call.