This is a living place for me to keep notes about how I’m using ChatGPT

ChatGPT sits open on my side screen all day and I interact with it multiple times a day, on various topics. It’s like having an expert co-worker in the office who’s knowledgeable and always ready to chat.  Many commentators are referring to these sorts of tools as co-pilots, instilling a sense of comfort that they’re not replacing you the human, but instead helping and supporting you.

The home page of my ChatGPT screen.

I use the  Premium version of ChatGPT

This is where you add the Custom Instructions.

In the second block I have added:

You can call me Heather
Only use UK English spelling.
Keep responses short
Alphabetise lists
Use the writing tone of the writer Heather Smith, author of Xero for Dummies.
Unless stated responses can be casual.
Keep responses short and concise.
Never use the word ‘mate’.
Never use a phrase like ‘Trust you are in good health.’
When asked to add emojis, add them at the start of the sentence , or throughout the sentence, but not at the end of a sentence.

Should ChatGPT have opinions on topics or should it remain neutral?

I noticed ChatGPT is encouraging me to tell it how I’d like it to respond?

Do I want it to be neutral?

Do I want it to have someone else’s opinion?

Imagine if your mum hacked your ChatGPT to say ‘Mum is Always right’?!?! That’d be a laugh, wouldn’t it?

By default ChatGPT is neutral. What would you put here?

Here is the option to add plugins

I mainly use Link Reader as it can scan and read some but not all websites. For example LinkedIn does not let it read their website.

Here are some examples of how I use ChatGPT

Prompt: Please review this email, and identify what activities I need to do to reply.

This is such a useful prompt for those looong overwhelming emails. ChatGPT responds with a numbered list of actions to take which makes processing the information much easier. Of course never put private information in ChatGPT.

Prompt: Can you explain in step by step instructions How I work out the Australian Cost of Living increase since Provide links to any relevant websites.

ChatGPT can not tell you the answer, because the data is not part of its dataset. Knowing how to calculate it, and where to find the information is useful.

Prompt: Can you give me several practical examples of how an accountant can use the learnings from the book “<insert book name>”?

I’ve found this to be really effective way to get some inspirational ideas. The big question is now do I bother reading the book?!

Here’s an example of how I brainstorm with ChatGPT.

I needed help communicating with my Accounting Tech Facebook community the sort of content members could share in the MasterMind group, and the optimal way to share it. Some people had told me they were not posting, because they were not sure what to post, and then other members spammed the group. So I needed to improve my messaging.

I started with the Prompt: The purpose of this chat is to collate information and guidance about how to communicate with the Xero MasterMind community. I am going to share lots of information with you. You only need to respond with a single emoji to acknowledge you have the information, until I ask you a question about it. Do you understand?

I pasted in my existing guidelines, and ChatGPT responded “EMOJI Understood.” I repeated this, multiple times downloading all of my thoughts. Again ChatGPT responded “EMOJI Acknowledged.”

THEN My next Prompt was “Can you explain to the App Marketing team what the Mastermind group is, and what sort of content they can share in the MasterMind group, and the optimal way to share it.” 

ChatGPT summarised and categorised everything I had submitted and generated 6 overarching guidelines. It was a great starting point

I continued the conversation with ChatGPT, refining the process. Now my creative juices are flowing I suggest additional information to be included. I tell ChatGPT to not use certain words, which I’d never use. I will post the outcome in the comments below. 

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions.

Tips and Tricks

A conversation on ChatGPT can be continued for months, it is not simply ask a question and get an answer and then it stops. You can keep the conversation going. However they do not guarantee this, it just seems to work that way.

You can change the names of conversations.

You can save good conversations and return to them.