Fill Both Boxes: Who You Are and How to Answer
What it is
A guide to the two custom-instruction fields: the first tells ChatGPT who you are and what you're doing; the second tells it how you want answers shaped. Both apply to every new chat automatically.
Why it works
People fill one box and leave the other blank, so they still repeat half their context in every prompt. The 'about you' box stops you re-explaining your role; the 'how to respond' box stops you re-requesting the same format. Together they make the default answer already close to what you want.
When to use it
Set once when you notice you're typing the same preamble ('I'm a nurse', 'keep it short', 'no preamble') into chat after chat.
When not to use it
Don't encode task-specific detail that only applies to one project — that belongs in a Project or the prompt itself, not your global defaults.
Prompt
About you: I'm a <role> in <field>, working on <ongoing focus>. I'm comfortable with <level>, so skip basics on <topics>.
How to respond: <length>, <tone>, lead with the answer, no filler or caveats unless they matter.Example
A lawyer sets 'I'm a UK solicitor' and 'be concise, cite the rule then the exception, no US law' — every chat now starts pre-tuned instead of needing the same three sentences.
Common mistakes
- Filling only the 'about you' box and still asking for tone every time.
- Writing vague instructions like 'be helpful' that change nothing.
- Cramming one project's details into a global field, skewing unrelated chats.