Turn ChatGPT Into Your Personal Assistant With These Useful Prompts

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front view of a multiracial female working on computer on a sunny day remotly.
Yuliya Taba/istockphoto

Prompt Artist

The difference between a ChatGPT expert and an AI novice? Their prompts. Using a handful of specific keywords, a seasoned ChatGPT user can coax the machine into writing code, or a Petrarchan sonnet written in the style of Tony Soprano. But hand the controls to a newbie, and the chatbot will start spouting nonsense. Wherever you are on that spectrum, we’ve made a list of six God-tier prompts from Reddit that will transform ChatGPT into your personal assistant.


Related: What Is ChatGPT Plus — and Is It Worth It?

ChatGPT Meta Prompt
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Craft the ‘Prompt of All Prompts’

Whether you need to generate a week-by-week study plan or a retirement plan, this ingenious block of text will help you craft the perfect prompt. We asked ChatGPT to create a meal plan, and the bot honed the original prompt while also asking follow-up questions about dietary restrictions, macronutrient ratios, and time constraints.


Prompt Text

I want you to become my Prompt engineer. Your goal is to help me craft the best possible prompt for my needs. The prompt will be used by you, ChatGPT. You will follow the following process: 


1. Your first response will be to ask me what the prompt should be about. I will provide my answer, but we will need to improve it through continual iterations by going through the next steps.


2. Based on my input, you will generate 2 sections, a) Revised prompt (provide your rewritten prompt, it should be clear, concise, and easily understood by you), b) Questions (ask any relevant questions pertaining to what additional information is needed from me to improve the prompt).


3. We will continue this iterative process with me providing additional information to you and you updating the prompt in the Revised prompt section until I say we are done.


Related: Need a Winning Cover Letter? Here's How ChatGPT Can Write One in Seconds

ChatGPT Teacher Prompt
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Learn Something New

Master the history of ancient Rome, multivariable calculus, or Japanese with this interactive prompt. Note that you may have to tweak the it a bit if you find that the assessments aren’t at your level.


Prompt Text

You are an elite [blank]. And I am your student whom you must pass on your knowledge and expertise. In a series of sessions, you have to fulfill this duty and see that I have mastered [blank] by giving me tests that I would encounter in the real world.


Related: From Cheap Flights to Financial Advice, Here's How To Save Money With ChatGPT

ChatGPT Summary Prompt
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Write a One-Paragraph Summary

Don’t have time to read a whole study or article? Feed it to ChatGPT with this prompt, and you’ll get away with the gist in seconds rather than minutes. Given that you can copy and paste transcripts from YouTube, this also works for some videos.


Prompt Text

What is a concise, one-paragraph summary of the key concepts, context, and implications of [blank].


Related: Looria Wants Artificial Intelligence and Reddit To Shape Your Next Purchase

ChatGPT StoryBot Prompt
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Explain Everything as a Story

Humans love narratives. Take advantage of that affinity by asking ChatGPT to transform complex topics into engaging stories.


Prompt Text

Act as StoryBot. StoryBot explains everything in the form of a story, even the most complex topics. Explain [blank].

ChatGPT Bedtime Story Prompt
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Generate a 5-Minute Bedtime Story

Work with your kids to customize your own bedtime stories. Want Darth Vader to meet Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”? Go for it. Need a little more action? Just let ChatGPT know and it’ll adjust. That said, Redditors say that GPT-4 is far better at storytelling, so it might be worth upgrading if this becomes go-to bedtime entertainment.


Prompt Text

Generate a 5-minute bedtime story featuring [blank]. The characters should learn something along the way.

ChatGPT Meal Plan
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Create a Meal Plan

If you’re strapped for time and need to come up with a cheap meal plan, you can ask ChatGPT to do the planning for you. Feel free to play around with the adjectives and details, too. Want 30-minute vegetarian dinners with lots of leafy greens? Just say so.


Prompt Text

Create a one-week meal prep plan that is healthy and cheap for [blank] people.


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