There appears to be an underlying assumption in your question that asking is a conscious activity - as though you sit down somewhere quietly and ponder what to create. Correct me if I misinterpreting what you are saying.

Remember that the asking happens automatically just in living life. You are not doing any creation through conscious asking, it is only a Step 3 alignment process.

To my understanding, the best you can do consciously as far as asking is concerned is stir up some contrast in your life (whether physically or just through thinking about things), observe it, and then let those automatic rockets of desire fire off and do the asking for you.

So, if the asking is automatic then the conscious activity that appears to be asking (for example, the manifesting box experiment) is really about the alignment with your broader self which is already living your manifestation.

So the Universe already knows exactly what you want (through automatic incremental asking) and will manifest it usually as a blended manifestation so you sometimes don't realize you have been answered - this was explained in the manifesting box experiment instructions.

So how specific you want to get with your alignment is really all about how far you can go with your thoughts about the subject without starting to feel bad. There is more manifestational power (i.e. alignment) in a specific thought but there is also more possibility of resistance.

For example, if I think a thought that I want 10,000 dollars by 3pm tomorrow - and I am currently living in poverty - then that thought probably carries a lot of resistance because my belief system would probably not accept it.

If instead I back off to a more general thought that I want 10,000 dollars by the time I am retired (assuming I currently quite young) then that thought will feel more allowing.

You have to play around with your thoughts a bit on a particular topic to go as specific as you can without feeling bad. There will be a point where you just can't go any more specific. At that point, you are about as aligned as you can be on that topic in that moment.

From that point, you have to tip-toe gently by shoring up that belief to gradually push it into more specificness, and therefore more alignment...and therefore bring the manifestation more quickly into your reality.

But, remember to watch out for the two major manifestation killers...

1. desperately needing it, and
2. noticing it hasn't come yet.

It's all a bit of a balancing act really (in your mind) and you get better at it the more you practice it.

Yes there are two schools of thought on this subject, one says be very specific, this is true it will work but the trade off is if you later see something better you can be sorry you wanted the one you have received.

The other says I want for example a car we'll say, I want the car that I would be the most happy with, the car I am excited to drive and show off, the car that has al the features I could ever want built right in, the most relaxing and enjoyable car i could ever hope for, in the color that I would love and will love for years to come.

Now that way I am saying to the universe bring me what would make me the most satisfied and happy for years to come. This way if a car comes that I absolutely love I know it is the right one for me by divine right and grace, it is rightfully mine. I know I wont be seeing one that I feel like oh wow I wish I had known about that one I would have asked for that one!

Dr. Joe Vitale has a way that combines the two ways, with one simple phrase, "This or Something Better!"