I keep running into this with DeepSeek Chat. I'll ask something like "how to migrate a Jira project" and get back a wall of text with explanations and caveats before any actual steps. I just want a clear, numbered to-do list.
What phrasing or structure works best for you all? I've tried "give me a bullet list" and "list steps concisely" but results are mixed. Maybe there's a specific trigger? Looking for that sweet spot between too vague and overly verbose.
The "act as if" trick usually works. Try framing it like "Act as a senior technical writer preparing a runbook. Provide only a numbered, sequential list of steps to migrate a Jira project."
I've found if you leave any room for interpretation, most assistants default to their verbose, essayist mode. You have to explicitly strip out their natural inclinations.