A FREE PRACTICAL GUIDE · BY MOLLY
Pretty Doesn’t Mean Finished: Check It Before Anyone Else Does
Check the real thing you made against what it promises, before anyone else uses it.
Let’s try one
It looks lovely. Now let's check it does what it says, before someone else finds out it doesn't.
Who it's for
Anyone who has made something that looks ready: a PDF or template, a printed flyer or menu, a product label, a class handout, a candle, a coloring book. Especially if AI helped, because AI is very good at making things look finished.
Use it when
- Claude (or a helper) said “All done!” and you haven't opened, printed or used the final version yourself.
- It looks great on your screen, and you're about to print 200 flyers, menus or labels.
- You've made a physical product, like candles, soap or a coloring book, and nobody but you has used it yet.
- You're about to hand a class handout, a client checklist or a template to people who'll use it without you there.
You'll get: A short “finished when” list for your thing, what passed and what didn't, the checks only you can do by hand, and the one fix to make first.
How to do it
Write down what “finished” means
Finish the sentence “It's finished when…” three to five times, using things you could check by looking or trying. For example: “every recipe has amounts”, “the date and address are right”, “it prints clearly on normal paper”, “the candle burns evenly to the edge”. Stick to what you've promised.
What good looks like: Each line is something you could check in a minute and answer yes or no.
Watch out for: Writing “looks professional” or “high quality”. You can't check those, so you either never feel done or feel done too soon.
Use the real thing, the way they will
Get the exact version someone will receive and use it like they would. Open the final file on your phone, not the editing screen. Print one copy if it'll be printed. Light the candle, follow the recipe, or work through the handout start to finish as if you'd never seen it.
What good looks like: You used the same copy, on the same kind of screen or paper, in the same way the person who gets it will.
Watch out for: Checking the preview, the thumbnail or Claude's “All done!” message. A message saying it's finished isn't the thing itself.
Check every promise and fact
Go through everything it says: dates, times, prices, sizes, amounts, names, “30 pages”, “burns for 40 hours”. Next to each, note how you know it's true: your notes, your own test, the venue's confirmation. If AI wrote any of it, check its numbers and steps against what you actually told it.
What good looks like: Every claim has been checked, or taken out.
Watch out for: Trusting a number because it sounds right. AI fills gaps with confident guesses, like a bake time, a page count or a step you never mentioned.
Try everything it asks someone to do
Follow every instruction in order, using only what's written. Open every link, scan every QR code, call the phone number, fill in the template. For a printed piece, hold it at arm's length in normal light and check it still reads.
What good looks like: Everything worked from start to finish, with nothing but what's in front of you.
Watch out for: Trying the first link and assuming the rest work, or skipping a step because you know it by heart. The person who gets it doesn't.
Fix what failed, then have one person try it
Fix only what didn't pass. Save it as a new version and keep the old one, then check the parts you changed again. Then give it to someone who's never seen it: “Could you use this without asking me anything? Tell me where you had to guess.”
What good looks like: They use it without your help, and you know exactly what, if anything, still needs work.
Watch out for: Adding new bits while you fix. That's how “nearly finished” lasts another month.
Do it with Claude in 10 minutes
This prompt helps with every step in about 10 minutes. Claude asks a few quick questions, writes your “finished when” list, checks what you share against what it promises, and lists the checks only you can do, like printing it or trying the links. It tells you plainly what it can't see.
Check it's really finished
Check the real thing you made against what it promises, and find what still needs fixing. Paste it into Claude and answer its few quick questions. The result comes back in the same chat.
Read the prompt + an example
I've made something that looks finished, and I want to check it really is before anyone else uses it. It might be a file, a template, a printed flyer or menu, a product label, a class handout, a listing, a physical product, or something AI made for me. Help me check the real thing against what it promises, and find what still needs fixing. Find out these things. Each has a purpose. I may not be able to answer the direct version, so start with easier, concrete questions that get to the same place: - what it is and who'll use it first (purpose: “finished” depends on who's using it and how; try “who's the first person who'll get this, and what will they do with it?”) - what it promises: everything it says it includes, does or tells people (purpose: these become the checks; try “if someone complained about it, what would they say it didn't do?”) - the thing itself (purpose: so you check what's really there, not what I meant). Ask me to paste its words or send a screenshot or photo. If it can't be shared, like a candle or a cake, ask for a photo of its label, listing or packaging, and what happened the last time I used it the way someone else would - whether AI or someone else wrote any of it (purpose: names, numbers and steps I didn't write need checking against my notes; try “is there any part you didn't write yourself?”) How I'd like you to work: - I'm on my phone, so start straight away with your first question. No introduction. - Ask one short question at a time and wait for my answer. Say in a few words why you're asking. - Start with the easier, concrete version of each question. Only ask the direct version if I seem ready. - When it helps, give me 2 to 4 numbered choices, with "something else" last, so I can reply with a number. - If I've already told you something, build on it and skip that question. If an answer is vague, ask for one real example instead of guessing. - Stop once you know enough. That's usually three to five questions. If I say "just do it", make your best guess and tell me what you assumed. - Write for a phone screen: plain words, short lines, no tables, no jargon. When you have enough, give me: - My "finished when" list: 3 to 6 checks for my kind of thing, each something I can see or try and answer yes or no. - What you checked from what I shared: for each check, "passed", "problem" or "check by hand", quoting the exact words or detail. Flag any fact, number or step you couldn't confirm, especially anything AI might have filled in. - My by-hand checks, in order, one line each: the things only I can do, like opening the final copy on my phone, printing one, trying every link or QR code, or using it start to finish the way someone else would. - The one fix to make first. - One message I could send someone to try it without my help. Only judge what I've shared. If you can't see or try something, like a link, a button, a print or how a product works, say so and put it on my by-hand list. Never say it works. Don't make up facts, numbers or reviews. Don't suggest new features: this is about finishing what's already there.
A filled-in example
These are illustrative details. Use your own information.
I've made something that looks finished, and I want to check it really is before anyone else uses it. It might be a file, a template, a printed flyer or menu, a product label, a class handout, a listing, a physical product, or something AI made for me. Help me check the real thing against what it promises, and find what still needs fixing. Find out these things. Each has a purpose. I may not be able to answer the direct version, so start with easier, concrete questions that get to the same place: - what it is and who'll use it first (purpose: “finished” depends on who's using it and how; try “who's the first person who'll get this, and what will they do with it?”) - what it promises: everything it says it includes, does or tells people (purpose: these become the checks; try “if someone complained about it, what would they say it didn't do?”) - the thing itself (purpose: so you check what's really there, not what I meant). Ask me to paste its words or send a screenshot or photo. If it can't be shared, like a candle or a cake, ask for a photo of its label, listing or packaging, and what happened the last time I used it the way someone else would - whether AI or someone else wrote any of it (purpose: names, numbers and steps I didn't write need checking against my notes; try “is there any part you didn't write yourself?”) How I'd like you to work: - I'm on my phone, so start straight away with your first question. No introduction. - Ask one short question at a time and wait for my answer. Say in a few words why you're asking. - Start with the easier, concrete version of each question. Only ask the direct version if I seem ready. - When it helps, give me 2 to 4 numbered choices, with "something else" last, so I can reply with a number. - If I've already told you something, build on it and skip that question. If an answer is vague, ask for one real example instead of guessing. - Stop once you know enough. That's usually three to five questions. If I say "just do it", make your best guess and tell me what you assumed. - Write for a phone screen: plain words, short lines, no tables, no jargon. When you have enough, give me: - My "finished when" list: 3 to 6 checks for my kind of thing, each something I can see or try and answer yes or no. - What you checked from what I shared: for each check, "passed", "problem" or "check by hand", quoting the exact words or detail. Flag any fact, number or step you couldn't confirm, especially anything AI might have filled in. - My by-hand checks, in order, one line each: the things only I can do, like opening the final copy on my phone, printing one, trying every link or QR code, or using it start to finish the way someone else would. - The one fix to make first. - One message I could send someone to try it without my help. Only judge what I've shared. If you can't see or try something, like a link, a button, a print or how a product works, say so and put it on my by-hand list. Never say it works. Don't make up facts, numbers or reviews. Don't suggest new features: this is about finishing what's already there. --- HOW IT GOES (a made-up example) Claude: What did you make, and who'll use it first? (So I know what “finished” means.) 1. Something people buy 2. A handout or guide 3. A flyer or listing 4. Something else You: 2. A handout for my cookie-decorating class. Claude wrote it from my notes. Claude: Paste the words in, or send a photo. (So I check what's really there.) You: (pastes the handout) …one more question, then: the bake time doesn't match your notes, the icing step never says how much water, and your by-hand check is to bake one batch using only the handout.Download the original prompt (.txt)
See it in action
A baker checks a class handout Claude wrote. A made-up example. Free Claude can read pasted words or a photo of a printed page.
What did you make, and who'll use it first? (So I know what “finished” means.) 1. Something people buy 2. A handout or guide 3. A flyer or listing 4. Something else
2. A handout for my cookie-decorating class. Claude wrote it from my notes.
Paste the words in, or send a photo of it. (So I check what's really there, not what you meant.)
(pastes the handout)
What should someone be able to do at home with only this sheet? (That's what “finished” means here.) 1. Bake the cookies 2. Mix the icing 3. Both 4. Something else
3
The handout says 8 minutes at 350°F. What do your notes say? (Numbers are where AI tends to guess.)
12 minutes.
Finished when: the times match your notes, every ingredient has an amount, and someone can bake and ice a batch from the sheet alone. Problems: the bake time, and the icing step says “add water until it's right” without saying how much or what right looks like. Fix first: the bake time. By hand: print it and bake one batch using only the sheet. Send a friend: “Could you make these with just this sheet? Tell me where you had to guess.”
What to do next
Do the by-hand checks, then make the one fix and check that part again. Then send the message to one person. Wherever they had to guess is your next fix: paste their answer into the same Claude chat and ask what to change.
Your answer stays in your Claude chat. To find it faster, screenshot it or copy it into your notes.
WHEN YOU WANT HELP WITH THE NEXT STEP
Want to turn your know-how into something people can buy?
Make your first small digital product and launch it with Molly, one step a day.
December 1–14. Daily videos, three office hours, a private group, and feedback from Molly.
Join the waitlistDoors open Nov 24 for one week. The waitlist gets $47 for the first 48 hours (then $97), and keeps 40+ of my AI agents after the challenge.