Master AI Conversations in 10 Minutes (2026)
You will see what fills an AI chat before you type anything, remove what you do not need, and set up your conversations so the AI answers faster with fewer hallucinations. I show it in Claude, and the same ideas apply to ChatGPT and Gemini.
What you need
A Claude account (ChatGPT or Gemini work the same way)
A few minutes in the app's settings
Step by step
Picture the chat as a page with a size limit
Think of every conversation as one sheet of paper. It has a size limit, so you can only talk for so long. Before you type anything, the page already holds a hidden system prompt from the company that built the AI. Everything you add later fills the same page.
Check what the AI remembers about you
Open Settings, then Capabilities. Here you'll find Generate memory from chat history and the option to reference past chats. That memory is a small text file about you, and it also sits on the page without you seeing it. To test it, ask Claude your name.
Memory test promptHey, Claude, can you please tell me my name?
Turn off skills you are not using
Skills are reusable workflows. The description of every skill you have enabled loads into each conversation, so the AI knows what it can do. Go to Skills, then Manage skills, and switch off the ones you won't use.
Disconnect connectors you do not need
Connectors link Claude to other tools, and they load into every conversation too. They add a lot of weight. In a new chat, click +, then Connectors, and click disconnect on the ones you don't need. You can do the same from the Connectors tab.
Choose the model and how much it thinks
Claude comes in three sizes: Haiku (smallest), Sonnet and Opus (biggest). Bigger models write more and think more. That thinking stays in the conversation even when you can't see it, and it slows replies. In Claude, use the thinking toggle. In ChatGPT, pick the thinking level.
Thinking test promptHey, Claude, can you now solve a very difficult problem for me, and I need you to think a lot: solve the equation 3x + 9 = 14.
Send fewer images
Every image you send gets turned into a lot of text behind the scenes. Many images fill the page quickly and make the conversation harder to manage. Only send an image when the AI really needs it.
Keep one conversation per subject
The AI rereads the whole conversation every time you send a message, not only your last one. Long chats get slower, and mixed topics (a breakfast recipe, then your business model) confuse it. Start a new conversation for each subject.
Watch out for
Assuming a new chat is empty: the system prompt, memory, skill descriptions and connectors are already on the page before your first message.
Keeping one long chat going all day: the AI rereads everything each time, so replies slow down and it can mix up details from earlier topics.
Sending lots of images: each one becomes a large amount of text and uses up the conversation's space.
Leaving heavy thinking on for simple tasks: the hidden thinking also fills the conversation and makes responses slower.
