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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Elton Jones

ChatGPT can do more for you than ever — and I use these 5 prompts to take everyday tasks off my plate

Chatgpt 5.6 sol.

ChatGPT definitely gets top billing for me whenever I need a chatbot that handles my research, productivity and planning needs.

And over time, I’ve been treated to new and improved versions of the chatbot’s models that boost its intelligence and sense of reasoning. The initial preview and rollout of the improved ChatGPT models (GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-5.6 Luna) has pushed OpenAI’s chatbot to an even more impressive level when it comes to generating stronger responses. Alongside those model enhancements, ChatGPT has become so much better at remembering context from previous conversations, handling more complex topics, carrying outs multi-step tasks, fulfilling everyday tasks via Plugins and conducting more objectives with its Voice feature.

It’s gotten to the point where ChatGPT has evolved to the point where it’s not just good for answering your most basic questions — it can complete all sorts of objectives from users who give it the proper delegation and steps.

With ChatGPT’s most recent updates in mind, I’ve grown accustomed to putting it through its paces by tapping into these five prompts to make it work more efficiently. And I’m always satisfied with the results that come from my daily interactions with it.

Taking advantage of ChatGPT’s latest evolved state

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The following five prompts I’ve gotten used to sharing with ChatGPT to make my everyday tasks easier to deal with are as follows:

  • Plan my day: Here’s everything I need to get done today: [list]. Organize it into the most efficient schedule possible. Prioritize what matters most, group similar tasks together, estimate how long each will take, and build in realistic breaks. If anything can be delegated, automated, batched, or eliminated, flag it.
  • Research something for me: I need to make a decision about [topic]. Research the most important information I need to know, compare the available options, identify the key trade-offs, and give me a clear recommendation. Don’t just summarize—do the legwork and tell me what you would choose and why.
  • Turn a messy task into a checklist: I need to accomplish [goal], but I don’t want to figure out all the steps myself. Break this into a complete, step-by-step checklist in the correct order. Include anything I might overlook, tell me what I can prepare in advance, and mark which steps you can help me complete.
  • Compare my options: I’m deciding between [option A], [option B], and [option C]. Do the comparison for me. Evaluate them based on [budget/time/quality/convenience/etc.], identify the biggest pros and cons of each, point out anything I’m overlooking, and recommend the best option for my situation.
  • Make a plan for me: I want to [goal] by [date]. Build the entire plan for me. Work backward from the deadline, divide it into manageable milestones, tell me exactly what I should do each week/day, and identify anything I should do now to make the rest easier.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The final prompt has done a lot of great work for me on an everyday basis — from basic goals like trying to increase my weekly record of walking steps to bigger ones such as finding my first apartment in New York, ChatGPT has excelled at laying out the proper steps I need to take to see them to successful completion.

When I needed it to map out my plan for achieving my goal of building a gaming PC by January 2027, it put me on the right path with an easy-to-follow roadmap. It also listed the best target configuration for my future gaming PC, a master plan for me to stick to for the next six months, detailed phases for the proceeding days/weeks/months, the biggest strategic decision I should make and my ideal timeline.

This final statement from ChatGPT put me in the right mindset to accomplish my latest gaming-related goal: The smartest version of this project is therefore not "find the best PC today." It's "position yourself to buy the best PC for your money in November. The custom (albeit expensive) gaming PC configuration the chatbot put in front of me is as follows:

  • CPU: High-end AMD X3D chip (an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D)
  • GPU: RTX 5090-class or best-value successor/alternative
  • Motherboard: Quality AM5 board with Wi-Fi (an AMD X870E)
  • RAM: 32GB minimum; 64GB preferred (a DDR5 6000 CL30)
  • Storage: 2TB NVMe minimum; 4TB ideal (a Gen 5 NVMe)
  • PSU: 1000W–1200W quality Gold/Platinum (a 1200W 80+ Platinum PSU)
  • Cooling: High-end air cooler or 360mm AIO
  • Case: High-airflow ATX case
  • OS: Windows 11
  • Monitor: 4K 240Hz OLED if budget allows (an ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM Gen3)

The takeaway

ChatGPT has come in a bunch of evolved forms that respond with more thoughtful answers and the capacity to tackle intricate requests with multiple steps. The five prompts I’ve made a permanent part of my reusable prompt library are tailor-made for the chatbot’s most improved models to date. Transforming the chatbot into an assistant and a critical agent that can help me do deep research, create step-by-step plans, plan my day and more has become an integral part of my life.

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