This text is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a e-newsletter that helps you uncover probably the most helpful websites and apps.
I’ve just lately written about free, private AI tools and the best AI mobile apps. To construct on that AI sequence, I’m sharing a brand new visitor publish in the present day on profit from AI by Frank Andrade, The PyCoach. He’s an AI & Python teacher who has helped 1000’s of individuals on YouTube and Substack grasp AI with beginner-friendly guides and in-depth tutorials. As he begins a brand new journey on Instagram, he’s providing his ChatGPT course free to anybody who follows & DMs him.
I’ve been utilizing ChatGPT for the reason that day it was launched. Again then, there have been no fancy options, mannequin picker, or various AI instruments to select from.
Issues have modified in 2025 and I’d wish to share with you some issues I’ve realized up to now:
- A few occasions per yr, you’ll see headlines a couple of new “world’s strongest mannequin.” Ignore the hype. Follow ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or no matter device you employ. Give it a few months, and the headlines will probably be about your device.
- ChatGPT could make you extra productive or dumber. An MIT study discovered that whereas AI can considerably increase productiveness, it could additionally weaken your vital pondering. Use it as an assistant, not a substitute in your mind.
- In the event you’re a scholar, use study mode in ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. When this characteristic is enabled, the chatbots will information you thru issues moderately than simply giving full solutions, so that you’ll be doing the vital pondering.
- ChatGPT and different chatbots can confidently make stuff up (aka AI hallucinations). In the event you suspect one thing isn’t proper, double-check its solutions.
- NotebookLM hallucinates lower than most AI instruments, however it requires you to add sources (PDFs, audio, video) and gained’t reply questions past these supplies. That stated, it’s nice for college kids and anybody with supplies to add.Share
- Most likely probably the most underrated AI characteristic is deep research. It automates net looking for you and returns a totally cited report with minimal hallucinations in 5 to half-hour. It’s obtainable in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, so give it a strive.
- ChatGPT and different chatbots have a short-term reminiscence restrict. In lengthy threads, they might lose earlier particulars. I’ve realized to periodically restate key factors from the preliminary directions or begin a brand new chat when crucial.
- ChatGPT might often misclassify a legit query as policy-violating. When it does, I reword the immediate or clarify why I’m asking.
- Free < Plus < Professional. Paid tiers are value it for the additional intelligence and options. Professional tiers go additional and can provide you an edge, although not everybody wants it. In the event you deal with high-stakes duties, strive Professional a minimum of for 1 month.
- You shouldn’t persist with the default ChatGPT mode. Go to the mannequin picker and check out instantaneous, pondering mini, and pondering (here I clarify every mode). If in case you have a professional subscription, use professional mode extra usually.
- The following huge factor in AI is AI agents. An instance is ChatGPT agent—consider it as ChatGPT that may take further steps past a textual content response. It doesn’t simply reply to prompts. It may take actions on the internet (go to websites, click on buttons, scroll) and work towards a purpose with minimal human enter.
- Em dashes had been round lengthy earlier than instruments like ChatGPT ever existed, so don’t hesitate to make use of them if that’s a part of your writing fashion.
- It doesn’t harm to be taught the technical stuff behind AI tools. Actually, it might probably make clear some key ideas and make you extra assured if you speak or use AI.
- ChatGPT can’t browse the online by default, however in case you activate “Net Search,“ it might probably even grow to be a very good substitute for Google Search (one other good AI alternative is Perplexity).
- It’s not improper to make use of ChatGPT like Google Search generally. You’ll usually get rapid solutions and transfer quicker. Simply don’t neglect to make use of short-term chats and initiatives to maintain your chats tidy.
- Immediate crafting (or prompt engineering) is a talent you could construct if you wish to take advantage of out of AI instruments.
- AI strikes quick, so you could adapt. As ChatGPT will get smarter, some prompting methods get outdated, whereas new ones emerge.
- Textual content expanders are a giant time-saver for prompts. Instruments like Alfred, Beeftext, or Text Blaze allow you to rapidly kind prompts and save, set up, and reuse immediate templates. [JC: Raycast is another good option for this.]
- You will be simply as productive on the ChatGPT cellular app as on the internet. On iPhone, the built-in Text Replacement characteristic works like a textual content expander and helps you kind prompts quicker. Discover it beneath Common→ Keyboard→ Textual content Substitute.
- Use voice mode in your telephone to brainstorm or speak by subjects if you need a second opinion. I’ve tried this many occasions, and I’m normally glad with the outcomes.
- ChatGPT speaks many languages. You’ll be able to follow your talking and writing expertise anytime. For translation, it beats literal, word-for-word instruments like Google Translate as a result of it understands context, intent, and cultural nuance.
- Chatbots will be overly agreeable. To get much less agreeable responses, ask for opposing viewpoints, a number of views, and a vital take (if potential, keep away from inserting your individual opinions). See Jeremy’s piece on immediate boldly for extra shocking, uncommon responses.
- Midjourney is nice for producing excellent AI pictures, however for freshmen, ChatGPT provides a greater stability of ease of use and picture high quality (simply be sure you observe this straightforward tweak).
- AI instruments have made coding extra accessible by vibe coding. Nevertheless, in case you don’t know (or need to be taught) the fundamentals of programming, you’ll waste your time, as a result of, a minimum of for now, you must information the AI, test its work, and put it on the best course.
- Some AI corporations are extra privacy-invasive than others. In line with a report, Le Chat (Mistral AI), ChatGPT (OpenAI), and Grok (xAI) are the least privacy-invasive platforms. Meta AI and Gemini (Google) had been discovered to be probably the most aggressive in knowledge assortment and the least clear about their practices. See Jeremy’s resources for private AI.
Profiting from ChatGPT options
Since ChatGPT was initially launched, OpenAI has added a whole lot of options to enhance the way in which we work with it. Some are important, whereas others are extra domain-specific. Most options will be accessed by way of the + button.
Listed below are the options that each ChatGPT person ought to know:
- Web Search: Net search may also help you get solutions to up to date questions.
- File Uploads: You’ll be able to add recordsdata equivalent to PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, Phrase paperwork, and shows to ChatGPT.
- Projects: You’ll be able to create folders to higher set up your chats.
- Temporary chats: Nice for one-off questions, serving to you keep away from muddle in your chat listing.
- Voice mode: You’ll be able to converse to ChatGPT as an alternative of typing. Very helpful if you’re on the telephone. See Jeremy’s guide to ChatGPT’s Superior Voice Mode.
The remainder of the options are extra superior and for particular use-cases.
- Create Image: A beginner-friendly device that creates pictures or edits current ones from plain-English prompts (this tweak helps me get probably the most out of it). See Jeremy’s guide to ChatGPT’s new picture era device.
- Deep research: Spends a number of minutes looking out the web to construct full experiences on subjects that want proof, comparisons, and step-by-step reasoning.
- ChatGPT agent: It may take actions on the internet (go to websites, click on buttons, scroll) and work towards a purpose with minimal human enter.
- Study mode: A learning-focused mode that explains solutions at your stage, breaks subjects into steps, and tracks what you’ve mastered or must evaluation.
- GPTs: Customized variations of ChatGPT you’ll be able to configure with particular directions, information recordsdata, and instruments to focus on a subject or workflow.
- Personalization: Establishing customized directions and reminiscence lets ChatGPT know extra about you and gives tailor-made responses.
These options can be used within the cellular app. Within the information beneath, I clarify how I arrange my iPhone to spice up my ChatGPT productiveness.
📲 iPhone setup for ChatGPT: Options to spice up productiveness in ChatGPT
Need to be taught extra?
Stage 1: Sharpen the way you write prompts
Prompting is how we talk with AI. Writing good prompts is important for anybody working with AI instruments. ChatGPT has many options and modes, however they gained’t matter in case you don’t know write good prompts.
The fundamental immediate: Process + Context
There’s a ChatGPT immediate system to get higher responses. Nevertheless, if I had been studying prompting once more, I wouldn’t begin with the system. Why? The entire system is effective for superior work, however for many on a regular basis duties, it’s overkill.
Utilizing all parts from the system will sluggish you down and waste time. More often than not, you’ll solely want two parts: job + context
- Process: What you need ChatGPT to do
- Context: The additional particulars the mannequin must ship a extra tailor-made response
Right here’s a immediate instance:
I’m a 75kg man who needs to realize 5kg of muscle in 1 yr. Construct a 1-year coaching program to observe. I don’t have earlier expertise and I can practice 4–5 days per week (60–75 min per session).
Within the instance, the duty is to construct a 1-year coaching program, whereas the context is the individual’s data and background to create a personalised program.
The fundamental immediate ought to be sufficient for many on a regular basis duties. That stated, after we do extra advanced duties, we’ll want to make use of extra parts from the system.
Superior observe: The entire immediate system
The immediate system I take advantage of has 4 further parts:
- Exemplar: A brief pattern response that reveals the construction to emulate
- Persona: Who ChatGPT ought to “be” whereas answering (aka position)
- Format: The required construction and presentation (tables, size, and so forth)
- Tone: The voice and vibe the response ought to undertake (pleasant, formal, and so forth)
Once you really feel that job and context aren’t sufficient to get a very good response, add certainly one of these further parts to your immediate.
For instance, if I had been a private coach, the fundamental immediate can be a very good begin to construct a program for a number of shoppers. Nevertheless, as my consumer base grew, I’d want a extra sturdy, reusable immediate I may apply throughout shoppers.
Within the information beneath, I remodel our primary immediate right into a extra sturdy one through the use of each component of the system.
📚 ChatGPT prompt formula: Examples, when to make use of it, and when not
Stage 2: Learn the way GPT-5 works
ChatGPT used to have all kinds of fashions to select from (o3, 4o, o4-mini, and so forth). They had been consolidated into GPT-5, which has a system that decides whether or not to make use of its Chat or Pondering mode in your job. The issue with GPT-5 is that the system doesn’t at all times do a very good job and would possibly assign low reasoning to a job that wants deeper reasoning.
It’s finest to keep away from the default mode (aka auto) and select manually the mode we want:
- On the spot: Offers quick solutions with out spending further time on reasoning steps
- Pondering: ChatGPT will suppose extra rigorously earlier than answering. Responses take longer, however they’re extra structured, detailed, and effectively thought out.
- Professional: Analysis-grade intelligence for high-stakes duties
Professional mode is simply obtainable to Professional subscribers. For 95% of individuals, instantaneous and pondering (obtainable to Plus subscribers) ought to be sufficient. For extra particulars, take a look at my guides beneath.
📚 Complete guide on ChatGPT-5 modes: Who ought to use it, use-cases, & weaknesses
💡 ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscriptions: Worth it?
Superior observe
There are extra superior ideas you’ll be able to be taught to get higher responses with GPT-5. Let’s begin with these that may be utilized within the ChatGPT net app:
- Instruction following: Keep away from contradictory directions in your prompts. The mannequin might get confused or waste time attempting to reconcile the conflicts.
- Verbosity refers back to the size and element of ChatGPT’s responses. Low verbosity is sweet for vital information and key takeaways, whereas excessive verbosity fits complete, in-depth solutions. You’ll be able to explicitly set a phrase restrict in your immediate.
- GPT-5 prompt optimizer: OpenAI’s superior device helps sharpen your prompts. It may establish contradictory directions or different weaknesses.
This text is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a e-newsletter that helps you uncover probably the most helpful websites and apps.
