One Step at a Time: The Pacer Prompt That Makes Big AI Tasks Feel Doable

A Tom's Guide feature introduces the ‘pacer’ prompt: tell your AI to act like a running partner and deliver only the first step, unlocking the next only when you say ‘Done.’ This single-step approach reduces overwhelm, builds momentum, and adds a small dopamine reward as you complete each step. It works with ChatGPT as well as Claude and Gemini, and is especially useful for long articles, complex projects, or any task you’ve been putting off, turning daunting goals into manageable increments.