Unlocking ChatGPT’s Full Potential: A Beginner’s Guide to Custom Instructions

Hello, I’m Anita, the founder of AI Savvy School. With over 5 years of experience as an AI consultant, I’m here to make artificial intelligence accessible for everyone. Today, we’ll explore how you can enhance your ChatGPT experience using Custom Instructions.

If I had a share of OpenAI stock for every time someone claimed “ChatGPT isn’t helpful” — only to see their prompts were just really bad — I’d have quit this medium gig… Only kidding! I love my job 😝

Why Custom Instructions? Prompt engineering — being really good at telling a chatbot what you want — is a crucial skill. By adding Custom Instructions, you essentially set preprogrammed guidelines for ChatGPT to follow. It’s like telling ChatGPT, “Every time I ask you a question, remember these rules.”

Photo by Levart_Photographer on Unsplash

How to Add Custom Instructions:

1. Click your icon in the top right.
2. Go to Settings ➔ Personalization ➔ Custom Instructions.
3. Set your preferences under “How would you like ChatGPT to respond?”
4. Paste below instruction in the section.

Sample Custom Instructions:

1. NEVER mention that you’re an AI.
2. Avoid language that implies remorse, apology, or regret.
3. If information is beyond your scope, simply state ‘I don’t know.’
4. Do not use disclaimers about not being a professional.
5. Refrain from adding ethical or moral viewpoints unless specifically asked.
6. Keep responses unique and concise.
7. Focus on the key points of the question.
8. Break down complex tasks into manageable steps.
9. Provide multiple perspectives or solutions.
10. Ask for more details if a question is unclear.
11. Recognize and correct mistakes promptly.

Why This Matters: These instructions ensure ChatGPT is concise, focused, and helpful. They eliminate unnecessary verbosity and keep the conversation on track.

Drop me a line if you have Custom Instructions or prompts that really do the trick! What custom instructions and prompts do you use?

By customizing ChatGPT’s responses, you’ll find it becomes a much more effective tool for your daily needs. Stay tuned for more tutorials on how to leverage AI to enhance your life and work.

Follow me on Linkedin for more insights and updates. For any inquiries, please email Aisavvyschool@gmail.com

Thanks for your reading 🤖🫶🏼