Tools and ways of working
Using projects and custom instructions
Stop explaining who you are every time. With projects and custom instructions, every conversation starts with the right context.
5 min read
Explaining every time who you are and what you want wastes time. Most AI tools offer two ways to keep context: custom instructions and projects.
Custom instructions
A fixed text that goes with every conversation. In it you put:
- Who you are and which company you work for.
- Your customers and sector.
- The tone and format you want.
- What the AI must never do, for example invent figures.
Keep it short, no more than two hundred words. It applies to everything.
Projects
A project is a workspace for one topic, with its own instructions and documents. Examples:
- Customer service: your FAQs, terms and tone.
- Quotes: your price list, a sample quote and your rules.
- A key client: the agreements, contract and previous reports.
- Recruitment: company information, job descriptions and style.
Every conversation in the project starts from that knowledge.
Maintenance
- Update documents when prices or terms change.
- Remove old versions, or the AI will use outdated information.
- In a business account, share projects with colleagues doing the same task.
Exercise
Your answers stay only in this browser.
Prompt to copy
Help me set up a project for [task]. Give: 1) project instructions of no more than 200 words with goal, role, tone, format and what's never allowed, 2) a list of documents I should add, 3) three sample questions to test the project.
