ChatGPT · 3 habits
3 ChatGPT habits to stop doing today
Most of what makes ChatGPT feel generic or wrong comes down to three habits. Each one has a fix you can use in your next chat. Here are the exact words to type for all three.
Most of what makes ChatGPT feel generic or wrong comes down to three habits. Each one has a fix you can use in your next chat. Here are the exact words to type for all three.
In the video I said to comment HABITS. This is that guide. Each habit below has the fix I showed you, ready to copy.
That first draft is a starting point. When ChatGPT gives you something, reply in the same chat with the line below. Then pick the version you like and ask for one more round on it. Watch how much better each round gets.
Give me three different versions and tell me which one you'd pick.
"Write me an email" gets you a generic email. Tell it who it's for, what you want them to do, and paste in one you've written before. Now it's going to sound like you. Fill in the brackets in this prompt and send it.
Write me an email to [who it's for: their name, their role and how I know them]. What I want them to do: [the one thing you want them to do, and by when]. What they need to know: [the facts the email has to include]. Here's an email I've written before. Match its tone, its length and the way I sign off: [paste one of your own emails here]
ChatGPT will make up a statistic with total confidence. Add the line below to the end of your prompt. Turn on search first, so the links point to real pages: type / in the message box and choose Search, or open View all tools and choose Search. Search is on every ChatGPT plan, including Free. Then click the links every single time, and check the number is on that page and the page is recent.
Link a source for every number. If you're not sure, say so.
Ask for more than one answer, and give it context. Reply to any draft with "Give me three different versions and tell me which one you'd pick." Then tell it who the work is for, what you want that person to do, and paste in a sample of your own writing so it can match your voice.
Paste in an email you've written before and ask it to match the tone, length and sign-off. Add who the email is for and the one thing you want them to do. To skip this every time, put a short sample of your writing in Settings > Personalization > Custom instructions, which ChatGPT reads in every regular chat.
It can. OpenAI's help center says ChatGPT can produce incorrect information, including made-up studies and citations, and can sound confident when it's wrong. Turn on Search, end your prompt with "Link a source for every number. If you're not sure, say so." and open every link to check the number is there.
No. OpenAI says search citations can be incomplete, outdated or incorrect. Open each cited page, find the number or quote yourself, and check the date the page was published. Search works on every ChatGPT plan, including Free: type / in the message box and choose Search.
On the web and desktop app they're in Settings > Personalization, with Enable customization turned on. On iPhone and Android, go to Settings > Customize ChatGPT. Free and Go plans allow 1,500 characters, and paid plans allow 5,000. Temporary chats don't use them.
A fill-in-the-blanks block for ChatGPT's Custom instructions. Set it up once and every chat knows who you are, how you write, and that it should give you three versions and link its sources.
Custom instructions are text ChatGPT reads in every chat. Put your context there once and you stop retyping it. They're on every plan.
About me: I'm [your name], [your role] at [your business]. I work with [who your customers are]. They come to me for [what you help them with]. How I write: [short sentences / friendly but direct / no jargon]. I sign emails "[your sign-off]". Here's a short email I wrote that sounds like me: [paste 3 or 4 sentences from an email you've sent] How to answer me: - Before you write anything long, ask me who it's for and what I want them to do, if I haven't said. - When I ask for a draft, give me three different versions and tell me which one you'd pick and why. - Link a source for every number. If you're not sure, say so.
The block is about 630 characters before you fill it in. Free and Go plans allow 1,500 characters, and Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education allow 5,000, so keep your sample email short on a free account. Your instructions apply to your chats as soon as you save them. Temporary chats skip them, so use a regular chat when you want your context in.
Prompts, step-by-step guides and checklists you can put to work today.