ChatGPT is an incredibly powerful tool, but let’s face it—many of us are probably using it wrong. It’s not entirely our fault. Whenever a new feature rolls out, the internet gets flooded with “expert” advice on how to make the most of it. While some tips are spot on, others might lead you down a path that doesn’t quite fit your needs. In this post, we’ll explore five common mistakes people make when using ChatGPT and, more importantly, how to fix them. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started, these insights will help you optimize your ChatGPT experience.
1. Overly Specific Custom Instructions
When it comes to custom instructions, the advice you often hear is to be as specific as possible. List your values, your writing style, your city, and even your favorite apps. Sounds good in theory, right? Well, not so fast. Custom instructions act like an umbrella—they need to cover all your use cases. If you make them too specific, you might end up with outputs that are less relevant to different aspects of your life.
What to Do Instead:
Keep it simple. In the top box, write just three sentences:
- Who you are professionally. For instance, \”I’m a product marketing manager in tech.\”
- Who you are outside of work. Maybe something like, \”In my spare time, I create online content on these topics.\”
- Your personality and interests. \”I’m all about efficiency, productivity, and self-improvement.\”
That’s it! In the bottom box, instead of getting super detailed, borrow inspiration from people you admire. Let’s say you respect Ali Abdaal\’s writing style—ask ChatGPT to analyze his work and use that as a model. Copy and paste the elements you like into your custom instructions. This way, ChatGPT knows just enough about you to be relevant across various tasks.
2. Ignoring Coding Capabilities
Many of us shy away from writing code because, well, we don’t have any coding experience. But guess what? ChatGPT can help you automate tasks even if the closest you’ve ever come to coding is entering cheat codes in a video game. Whether you need a script to add meeting notes in Google Docs or automate font settings in Google Slides, ChatGPT has you covered.
How to Make the Most of It:
Start by simply telling ChatGPT what you need. For example, \”Write a Google app script for my one-on-one meeting notes in Google Docs that does the following: add a new page with today’s date, include sections for notes and action items, and create a button to generate this new page.\” ChatGPT will not only write the script for you but also give you step-by-step instructions on how to implement it. You don’t need to understand the code—it’s all about getting the job done. And yes, you can even tweak the script a bit. For instance, change the date format from “Month, Date, Year” to a shorter version if that suits your needs better.
3. Falling into the \”First Try Fallacy\”
We often expect ChatGPT to nail it on the first go. It’s easy to get frustrated when the initial response isn’t perfect. But here’s the kicker—ChatGPT can give you much better results if you ask it to refine its responses with a few more questions.
The Fix:
End your prompts with this sentence: \”Ask me five questions that would improve the response you’ll be giving me.\” Let’s say you’re a marketing manager who needs to automate currency tracking in Google Sheets. Instead of just asking for a solution, include that sentence at the end. ChatGPT might respond with questions like, \”Are you okay with using an App Script?\” or \”Do you need real-time currency conversion?\” By answering these follow-up questions, you guide ChatGPT to provide an answer that’s tailored to your exact needs.
4. The \”Summary Only\” Shortfall
Many users think of ChatGPT as just a summarizing tool. Sure, it does a fine job at that, but you’re missing out on its real power if you stop there. ChatGPT can distill actionable insights that are specific to you.
What You Should Do:
Instead of asking for a basic summary, personalize it. For example, say you find an article on holiday shopping insights. Instead of just summarizing it, prompt ChatGPT with something like, \”How does the information in this article apply to a paid media marketing manager responsible for increasing brand awareness?\” Now, instead of a bland summary, you get actionable next steps tailored to your role—like focusing on Gen Z shoppers who use YouTube for holiday shopping.
But don’t stop there. You can also have a Q&A session with written content. Upload a PDF report and tell ChatGPT to assume the role of a senior business analyst with over 20 years of experience. Then, ask it targeted questions based on the report. This way, you get to the meat of the information without having to wade through the entire document.
5. The Prompt Overload Paradox
We’ve all been there—consuming tons of ChatGPT-related content, saving prompts for later, and then forgetting to use them. This is the prompt overload paradox, where too many options lead to inaction.
A Simple Solution:
Ask ChatGPT to assume the role of an experienced prompt engineer. Then, tell it what your role is, what your responsibilities are, and what your objectives are. Ask for 10 prompts that will make you more productive in your job. Pick three of these prompts to focus on for the next two weeks. Refine them using the perfect prompt formula (which is basically tweaking until it works perfectly for you). By narrowing your focus, you’ll actually start using those prompts, and you’ll see productivity gains instead of just theoretical benefits.
Final Thoughts:
ChatGPT is a versatile tool that can enhance your productivity, creativity, and efficiency—if you use it correctly. By avoiding these common mistakes and implementing the fixes we’ve discussed, you’ll unlock its full potential. So, next time you fire up ChatGPT, remember these tips and watch your results improve.