The ChatGPT setup guide

Everything you need to set ChatGPT up properly — even if you've never used it before. Built for business owners who don't want to read a 40-page manual. Pinky promise it's painless.

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👋 New here? Read this first.

What this actually is

ChatGPT is the AI assistant most people have already opened once and closed again. This is a step-by-step guide to setting it up properly so it actually works for your business, not just answers questions in a chat window.

Honest note Setting ChatGPT up takes maybe half an hour total. This is a leaner v1 of the guide — four steps, not the full works. Each tab is one step. You can do them in order or skip around — your progress saves automatically.
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The 4 steps, in plain English:

01
🪪 Custom Instructions Tell ChatGPT who you are once, so it stops treating you like a stranger.
02
💼 Projects Separate spaces for different jobs. One for content, one for clients, one for admin.
03
⚡ Prompts Ready-to-paste questions. Copy, paste, run. Six to start with.
04
✅ Checklist Tick things off so you can see what's done and what's next. Saves automatically.
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🤖 Coming from Claude?

You can bring your existing setup across. Here's exactly where to click and what to copy:

  1. Step 1 — Copy your Profile
    Claude's "Profile" is the same idea as ChatGPT's Custom Instructions — the bit where you tell it about yourself. Where to find it: Open Claude (claude.ai) → click your initials/avatar bottom-left → Settings → Profile. What to do: Copy the text out of the "What personal preferences should Claude consider?" box. You'll use it in the Custom Instructions tab here.
  2. Step 2 — Paste what matters into the Custom Instructions tab here
    Don't paste it all in unedited. Translate and trim. ChatGPT rewards specifics, not stuffing.

Translation cheat sheet (Claude → ChatGPT):
Claude "Profile" = ChatGPT "Custom Instructions"
Claude "Projects" = ChatGPT "Projects" (or a Custom GPT if you don't see Projects yet)
Same ideas, different names. Don't worry about it.

🫶 Never used any AI tool before?

Also fine. Skip the Claude bit above. Just go to the Custom Instructions tab and start there. If a word doesn't make sense, hover or just keep going — context fills in. You're not behind. Most people doing this for the first time already.

Start with Step 01 → Custom Instructions
Step 01 · The Foundation

Tell ChatGPT who you are

This is the single thing that changes how every conversation feels. Skip it and ChatGPT treats you like everyone else. Do it and it actually starts sounding like a real assistant.

Start here Fill these fields in honestly, then hit Generate. A formatted block of text will appear at the bottom. Copy it, then paste it into ChatGPT (instructions below). Takes 10 minutes total.

Where to paste it in ChatGPT: Open ChatGPT, click your name or avatar → Settings → Personalization → Customize ChatGPT. You'll see two boxes: "What would you like ChatGPT to know about you?" and "How would you like ChatGPT to respond?". Split the generated block across the two — the facts about you go in the first, the tone/style lines go in the second. Save. Done.

Using Memory too? Settings → Personalization → Memory lets ChatGPT remember things across chats automatically. Custom Instructions is the one-off setup below; Memory fills in on its own after. You don't need to touch Memory settings to do this step.

Step 02 · Containers for Your Brain

Build three projects

Projects = separate spaces for different areas of your work. Different context, different rules, no leaking between them. Below are 3 starter projects pre-written for you. Edit, copy, paste into ChatGPT.

Quick definitions before you start:

  • Project: a workspace inside ChatGPT. You make a new one for each big "area" of your work (writing, client work, admin). Chats inside a project can see the project's files and instructions; chats in other projects don't.
  • Instructions: the rules you set for the project. It's just a block of text. ChatGPT reads it before every chat in that project, so you don't have to repeat yourself. You'll see one below for each project — copy it as-is or edit it.
  • Project files: files you upload to a project so ChatGPT can read them (voice samples, brand guidelines, contracts, etc.). Optional but powerful.

How to actually create one: In ChatGPT, click Projects in the left sidebar → New Project → name it → open its instructions and paste the system prompt from below → save. Drag any files in.

Can't see Projects yet? Not everyone has it rolled out. Use a Custom GPT instead: go to My GPTs → Create a GPT → skip the builder chat → paste the system prompt into the "Instructions" box under Configure → save. Same idea, different door.

Start here Build the Content & Writing one first. You'll feel the difference immediately when you ask it to draft something.
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✍️Content & Writing

For blog posts, captions, newsletters — anywhere your voice matters.

💼Client Work

Per-client conversations without context leaking between them.

⚙️Admin & Ops

SOPs, calendar wrangling, inbox triage, meeting notes, follow-ups.

Step 03 · Copy & Run

Starter prompts

Six ready-to-go prompts. Copy, paste, edit the bits in [brackets]. No setup needed.

Start here Brain Dump to Plan. Try it once. It's the difference between staring at a list and actually moving.
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0%
0 of 0 done · just getting started
One per session is plenty You can come back anytime
✨ You did it. Look at you go.
Step 04 · The Ladder

Tick things off as you actually do them

Don't try to do this all in one sitting. One section per session. Save state lives in your browser — close the tab, come back tomorrow.

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