State whose preference it is
“On work nights, I prefer meals I can prepare in 20 minutes” gives the assistant a practical constraint. It says nothing about weekend meals or the other adult’s preferences. If the constraint changes during a holiday, update or pause it before using it to plan the week. A useful preference has a person, context and action. “I like quick dinners on work nights” supports a different decision from “everyone always wants fast food.”
Check how it will be used
Ask whether the preference stays private, appears in shared planning, or changes recommendations for others. For a personal preference, use a private record when the system offers one. If the household needs a shared constraint, agree on the practical sentence to share without exposing the private explanation.
Update exceptions cleanly
For a holiday week, specify whether the usual limit is paused temporarily or has genuinely changed. Give the exception an end date where possible. When someone disagrees with a suggestion, ask which constraint failed rather than treating one rejected dish as a permanent dislike. For example, share the weekday time limit without sharing the private reason someone needs it.