If you’re still copy-pasting the same formatting requests or resorting to “write this like a professional” prompts every single time you open ChatGPT, you’re working too hard.
There’s an essential feature buried in the Settings menu called Custom Instructions. In short, it lets you set permanent preferences so you don’t repeat prompts.
Think of it as a set of persistent filters. Instead of reminding ChatGPT that you hate long-winded intros or that you need everything delivered in a clean table, you tell it once and it remembers forever.
Setting it up is a breeze: Click your profile name or icon in the bottom-left corner and choose Personalization. You’ll notice a form field about halfway down. That’s where you’ll input your custom instructions.
Once that’s done, every new conversation starts with those rules already baked in. It’s the ultimate way to kill the repetitive busywork of “prompt engineering” before you even start typing.
Here are some custom instructions to try out. The key is to experiment and find what works for you. With a little creativity, you can turn ChatGPT into an indispensable productivity tool.
Summarizer
We all get bogged down in long emails, reports, and articles. This instruction will automatically summarize any text you feed into ChatGPT.
