ChatGPT lessons: workflows, plans, mistakes, prompt library
Reference lessons to use after the step-by-step tutorial.
Workflows that work
Weekly report
- A Project with last week's report as an example.
- Paste this week's raw notes.
- "Write it in the same format; flag anything missing."
Learn a topic
- Turn on study mode.
- "Quiz me after each part."
Messy data
- Upload a CSV.
- "Clean the dates to YYYY-MM-DD and list the rows you changed."
Plans compared
| Free | Go | Plus | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Context (Instant) | ~27K | ~54K | 54K | 128K |
| Projects | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled tasks | No | Listed | Yes | Yes |
| Custom GPTs | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | — | May include | — | — |
From openai.com/chatgpt/pricing. A dash means the page didn't list it for that plan.
Mistakes and fixes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Long chats drift | Start fresh with a summary |
| Invented sources | Ask for links and open them |
| Wrong account for work | Use your company's Business workspace if it has one |
| Over-long prompts with no goal | Lead with the goal and the format |
Prompt library
Bad: make it better
Good: Edit this paragraph for clarity at a 9th-grade reading level. Keep every fact. Show the changes as a list.
Why: what to change, what to keep and how to show it.
Bad: plan my trip
Good: Plan 3 days in Chicago in May for two adults, $150/day budget excluding hotel, using public transit. A day-by-day table with costs.
Why: dates, budget, constraints and a format.
ROLE: [who it should act as]
GOAL: [one sentence]
CONTEXT: [facts it needs]
FORMAT: [bullets / table / length]
RULES: say "unknown" instead of guessing; link facts.Use-case playbooks
Weekly email triage draft
- Paste 5 emails (redacted).
- Ask for a reply draft for each, max 80 words.
- Edit and send yourself.
Spreadsheet analysis
- Upload the file to a Project.
- Ask for totals by month and rows with missing values, with row numbers.
- Spot-check three rows by hand.
Learn a topic
- Turn on study mode.
- Ask it to quiz you one question at a time.
- Ask for official sources to read after.
Animated walkthrough
Animated walkthrough
Press play, or pick a chapter. Each chapter animates its steps.
Troubleshooting
I hit a limit. What now?
Context on Free is about 27K tokens (~12 pages), per OpenAI's pricing page. In a long chat, early parts fall out, so start fresh with a summary. Start a new chat with a short summary instead of dragging a long one.
The answer cites a page that doesn't say that.
Treat the claim as unverified. Ask: quote the exact sentence from that page that supports this, or say it isn't there. Then open the page yourself.
It forgot my earlier instructions.
Long chats push early text out of context. Put standing instructions where ChatGPT keeps them (Projects, listed by OpenAI on every plan including Free. One project per client or job, with files and standing instructions.) and start a fresh chat.
It agrees with everything I say.
Ask it to argue the other side and list the strongest evidence against your view, with sources.
How do I keep costs down?
OpenAI's pricing page didn't show dollar prices as readable text when we checked, so look at checkout. Test Free for a week with real tasks before paying. The API is billed separately from ChatGPT.
Cost control
Context on Free is about 27K tokens (~12 pages), per OpenAI's pricing page. In a long chat, early parts fall out, so start fresh with a summary.
- Test with the free tier on real tasks for a week first.
- Set a calendar reminder 2 days before any renewal.
- Keep one paid assistant, not three, unless each earns its place.
Prompt library: bad vs good
Bad: help me
Good: Write a 120-word email to a customer whose order is 3 days late. Apologize once, give the new date (Friday), offer 10% off. Warm, no jargon.
Why: situation, task, format and limits.
Bad: research this
Good: Find the 5 most relevant official sources from the last 12 months on [topic]. For each: title, date, link, and one sentence it actually says.
Why: asks for dated, quotable, checkable sources.
Bad: make it better
Good: Rewrite this for a busy customer: max 100 words, one ask, no jargon. Then list what you cut.
Why: a reader, a length and an audit of changes.
Bad: should I do X?
Good: List the 3 strongest reasons for and against X for someone in [situation]. Mark which reasons depend on facts I should check.
Why: balanced, and separates facts from judgement.
Privacy and safety
Personalization / custom instructions, Data controls (whether chats can improve models) and Memory (review and delete). OpenAI's help center blocked our checker, so menu names come from the app and may move.
- Don't paste passwords, ID numbers, card numbers or other people's private details.
- Assume the company can read and keep your chats unless its official policy says otherwise.
- For health, money or legal decisions, confirm with a professional or an official source.
Failure modes to watch
- Confident made-up citations.
- Agreeing with a wrong premise in your question (sycophancy).
- Losing early instructions in very long chats.
- Memory saving a wrong fact that then colours later answers.
When to use it vs other bots
| Use ChatGPT for | Consider another bot when |
|---|---|
|
See: Claude · Gemini · Perplexity · Copilot · comparison |
Leveled tutorials
Where these facts come from
- openai.com/chatgpt/pricing: plans, features, context sizes, Business and nonprofit terms
- help.openai.com blocked our checker on Oct 29, 2026 (403), so menu names come from the app
Checked Oct 29, 2026. Plans change, so confirm on the official page before you pay.
Next: Claude tutorial →