The new Claude has a fast mode that's now 3x cheaper. It's perfect for the one thing I use AI for most: generating options to choose from.

The new Claude update (Opus 4.8) made fast mode three times cheaper. It runs at 2.5x speed with slightly less depth. Not a dumber version, a quicker one. It changed how I use AI for the thing I do most: generating a pile of options fast so I can pick the best one instead of overthinking the first idea. The prompt I run constantly in fast mode: Give me 15 different angles I could take on [your topic or task]. Mix them up: - Some contrarian - Some story-based - Some that lead with a number or result - Some that ask a question - Some that state an uncomfortable truth One line each. No explanation. I'll pick the best one and develop it myself. Fifteen options in seconds. I pick one, develop it properly, done. The whole "stare at a blank page trying to think of the perfect angle" problem disappears because I'm choosing from options instead of generating from nothing. It works for way more than content: Give me 10 different ways I could approach [the problem or situation]. Each one a different angle. One sentence each. Include at least three I probably haven't considered. No explanation - I'll dig into the ones that stand out. Write five versions of this message, each a different tone - direct, warm, formal, casual, and one that opens with a question. I'll pick the best: [paste your message] The mental shift: stop asking AI for the answer. Ask it for the options. Choosing is faster and produces better results than generating, and fast mode makes generating 15 options as cheap as generating one. I wrote up all four changes in the new Claude including which tasks fast mode is best for and the prompts that work well in it, in a doc [here](https://www.promptwireai.com/opusguide) if it helps. If you only change one habit this week, stop asking AI for one answer and start asking it for 10 options. Run it in fast mode. You'll never go back to the blank page.