AI efficiency
token saving
ChatGPT tips
AI costs
prompt engineering
AI productivity
machine learning
How you're using AI is costing you money
Stop wasting tokens on AI politeness! Learn 5 proven strategies to optimise your ChatGPT usage, reduce costs, and get better results from your prompts.
Nigel Jay Cooper
Co-Founder & Chief Storyteller. Literary fiction author and product builder.
14 January 2026
LinkedIn ProfileI’m over-polite with my AI. I can’t help saying thank you all the time. If you’re the same, you’re also paying for it to process your politeness.
A friend commented on my post yesterday: ‘Token-saving is genuinely the most underrated AI skill right now.’ and he’s got a point.
Here are 5 quick wins to get more from your AI:
1. Skip the pleasantries
Drop the "please" and "thank you"… your AI doesn't need them, and you're burning tokens on every polite word.
(Full disclosure, I’m too British and can’t break this habit myself)
2. Start new chats
Don’t make it read a really long old chat thread if it doesn’t need to.
3. Use bullet points in prompts
Structured prompts are shorter and clearer than rambling paragraphs.
4. Archive old conversations
Memory features scan your entire history. Delete what you don't need referenced anymore.
5. Set output length limits
"Keep it under 200 words" stops your AI generating essays when you needed a succinct response.
++ I'm Nigel, creator of Ghostart. I help professionals develop an authentic presence on Linkedin for career growth, professional development and to raise awareness of their company or brand.
A friend commented on my post yesterday: ‘Token-saving is genuinely the most underrated AI skill right now.’ and he’s got a point.
Here are 5 quick wins to get more from your AI:
1. Skip the pleasantries
Drop the "please" and "thank you"… your AI doesn't need them, and you're burning tokens on every polite word.
(Full disclosure, I’m too British and can’t break this habit myself)
2. Start new chats
Don’t make it read a really long old chat thread if it doesn’t need to.
3. Use bullet points in prompts
Structured prompts are shorter and clearer than rambling paragraphs.
4. Archive old conversations
Memory features scan your entire history. Delete what you don't need referenced anymore.
5. Set output length limits
"Keep it under 200 words" stops your AI generating essays when you needed a succinct response.
++ I'm Nigel, creator of Ghostart. I help professionals develop an authentic presence on Linkedin for career growth, professional development and to raise awareness of their company or brand.
Connect with me on LinkedIn | Ghostart Platform
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