ChatGPT: Why So Many Beginners Get Poor Results

I've noticed that most people using large language models like ChatGPT aren't getting the results they could be. I don't expect everyone to track every AI advancement, but following three straightforward steps will put you ahead of 95% of other users. I teach these methods to my private clients, and they're using this technology to improve their workflow and achieve better outcomes.

The problem is that most people open ChatGPT and start asking questions without any setup, which produces generic responses. I pay for both ChatGPT and Google Gemini because I find them valuable as business tools for bouncing ideas and challenging my thinking. I'm going to walk you through personalizing your account, understanding prompt engineering, and using projects to organize your work so this AI can deliver tailored results instead of basic outputs.

Key Takeaways

• Personalizing ChatGPT with custom instructions about who you are and what you do dramatically improves the quality of responses you receive.
• You can ask ChatGPT to help you create better prompts if you're unsure how to structure your questions.
• Using projects to organize related conversations helps the AI remember context across multiple chats and deliver more relevant results.

Understanding ChatGPT's Interface and Features

Navigating the Dashboard

When you first access ChatGPT, you'll see the main window with several navigation elements. In the top right corner, you can start a group chat or turn on a temporary chat. I wouldn't advise using temporary chat unless you're testing things for a client that you don't really want to train this chat on.

In the top left, you can refresh the window or close down the sidebar. Here's where you'll find key navigation options:

• Click to start a new chat
• Search through your chats
• Access your library of chats
• View your chat history

At the bottom of the sidebar, you'll see your projects section. This is where all your project folders will be organized. The chat history displays all your previous conversations, making it easy to return to past discussions.

The main input bar at the bottom is where you click to ask questions or give prompts to the AI. It's just a simple way of asking the AI anything you want.

Selecting Between Free and Paid Versions

You've got to decide whether you want the free version or the paid version. You can use the free version and get really good results from it.

I actually have the paid version. I think it's a really good investment to get a business coach, something like a bit of a sparring partner to bounce ideas off and challenge your way of thinking. I pay for ChatGPT and I pay for Google Gemini just so I can get a bit of feedback from some of the strategies and tactics I'm using in my online business today.

I'm currently using ChatGPT 5.1. These things progress so fast. Depending on where you are in the world, it's rolling out all the time.

Exploring Projects, Codex, and Atlas

Projects allow you to organize your conversations into specific categories. Under projects, the AI is going to remember an awful lot more specific to each project. The more you can nestle some of your content under each project, it's going to remember that group of conversations.

For example, I've created an AI coach to help me bounce my ideas off ChatGPT so I can get a different perspective. In my online business coach project, I have threads like:

• YouTube strategy planning
• Designing product suite
• Weekly email templates

Anything you chat about within a specific project, the AI is going to remember across those chats. If I'm talking about my YouTube strategy, then I want to talk about my weekly email, it's going to remember across those chats. This is much better than just chatting without using projects.

To move a chat to a project, click on the three dots next to the chat and select "move to project," then choose your desired project folder.

Codex is available if you are coding or building out any kind of web pages. This AI will help you generate that code.

Atlas is a web browser that OpenAI now owns, providing integrated browsing capabilities.

You also have access to custom GPTs. You can either create your own or search from a library of them.

Establishing Your ChatGPT Account

Creating an Account With the Right Email

The first thing I would do is navigate or Google to ChatGPT or OpenAI and open an account. Use either your work email or if it's a business that you're running, enter your business email.

I would really encourage you to log in and start to train this AI on who you are, what you do, and who you serve. Don't just use an incognito window. I probably would only advise using incognito if you're testing things for a client that you don't really want to train this chat on you.

Logging In and Initial Platform Setup

Once you're inside a ChatGPT account, you'll see several navigation options. In the top right, you can start a group chat or turn on a temporary chat. In the top left, you can refresh the window.

You can close down the sidebar if needed. Here's where you click to start a new chat, search chats, and access your library of chats.

The platform includes several key features:

• Codex: If you are coding or building out any kind of web pages, this AI will help you generate that code
• Atlas: A web browser that OpenAI now owns
• Custom GPTs: You can either create your own or search from a library of them
• Projects: Allows you to organize your chats into specific categories

Down in the sidebar, you have projects and a history of your own chats. It's a really good idea to get to know this platform and understand this window in particular.

Personalizing ChatGPT for Enhanced Results

Custom Instructions and the More About You Section

I recommend navigating to your ChatGPT settings to locate the custom instructions feature. This section allows you to embed core information about yourself directly into the platform's memory.

If you're unsure how to create effective custom instructions, you can ask ChatGPT itself to help. I open a new tab and ask: "Create me a single paragraph prompt that I could use within any chat GPT to help update my custom instructions and more about you section so I can get better results."

The AI will generate questions across several categories:

• Strategic positioning
• Boundaries and non-negotiables
• Operating rhythm
• Audience precision
• Output style rules

I tell ChatGPT to ask me these questions one at a time. This back-and-forth process takes time, but it's worth the investment.

Providing Detailed User Information

The more information you provide to this large language model, the better the results. Most people just open a window and start prompting without giving the AI specific context about who they are, what they do, and who they serve.

I've set up my custom instructions to include the following:

With personalization turned on, ChatGPT remembers this information across all conversations. I don't need to reintroduce myself every time I open a new window.

This is the first step I encourage everyone to complete if they're using ChatGPT to help with their outputs. Rather than using it as just a chat dialogue, give this AI as much information about you and your online business as you can.

Iterative Improvement Through AI Feedback

I use AI to help me with prompting itself. After generating custom instructions through the question-and-answer process, I ask ChatGPT to give me a final output for my "more about you" section.

I also utilize the projects feature to organize my conversations. Under each project, the AI remembers that specific group of conversations. I've created an online business coach project where I bounce ideas off ChatGPT to get different perspectives and challenge my thinking.

Within my online business coach project, I have threads like:

• YouTube strategy planning
• Designing product suite
• Weekly email templates

If I've created a useful chat, I click on the three dots and move it to the relevant project. Anything I discuss within this project, the AI remembers across chat history. If I'm talking about my YouTube strategy in one chat, then my weekly email in another, it remembers the context.

I can also add files to projects. This includes branding positioning statements or tone of voice documents that help the AI generate more tailored responses.

Mastering Prompt Engineering

Crafting Effective Prompts

The majority of people I see using ChatGPT are just spitting out generic results because they're not using this platform in the best way possible. If you don't give it specific prompts, it's going to give generic responses.

It's really key to try and have an understanding of the output that you want from this AI. The more information you can provide this AI, the better responses you're going to get.

Key principle: The more information you can give this large language model, the better the results.

Don't worry if you don't know what to prompt. You can just ask the AI to create a prompt for you. If you have an understanding of the end result that you want, you can ask ChatGPT to help you with your prompts.

Using ChatGPT to Refine Prompts

The best thing to do is ask ChatGPT how to prompt. Here's how I do it:

1. Open a new tab
2. Ask ChatGPT to create a prompt for you
3. Review the generated prompt
4. Paste it back into ChatGPT for better responses

For example, I use this approach: "Create me a single paragraph prompt that I could use within any ChatGPT to help update my custom instructions and more about you section so I can get better results."

Once ChatGPT generates questions for you, I put "Great, ask me one at a time" and then spend some time in this window. It's going to ask you the first question. Go through and answer it as best you can. It's going to be a lot of back and forth.

Feedback options:

• Give it a thumbs up if you like the response to train it
• Give it a thumbs down if it's not so good
• Regenerate the response
• Share the output

At the end of this process, you can say "Great. Now give me a personalization for my custom instructions. Give me an output for my more about you section."

Aligning Prompts With Desired Outputs

I would really encourage you to log in and start to train this AI on who you are, what you do, and who you serve. The more you can personalize the core of this large language model, the better this is going to remember time and time again.

Navigate to the custom instructions section. If you don't have this option, it may be rolling out to your country as we speak. The custom instructions and the more about you section are the ones you want to really lean into and customize so you can get better results in the future.

Here's what I include in my custom instructions:

• I'm an online business coach
• I run a one-person lifestyle-first online business at timpeakman.com
• I help experts, teachers, coaches, instructors, specialists grow online

Rather than just using it as a bit of a chat dialogue, give this AI as much information about you if you're running an online business as you can. The responses are going to be that much more tailored to you.

You're not going to have to open a new window and say "Hey, this is me. This is who I serve. This is what I do, how I help them." The custom instructions are going to be embedded with this ChatGPT.

The next thing I would always encourage people to do is start a new project. Under projects, this AI is going to remember an awful lot more specific to each project. The more you can nestle some of your content under each project, it's going to remember that group of conversations.

If you've gone back and forth and you've got some good outputs, you can click on the three dots and then move to project. Anything you chat about within that project, this AI is going to remember those chat history. If I'm talking about my YouTube strategy, then I want to talk about my weekly email, it's going to remember across those chats.

Leveraging Projects for Organized Workflows

Grouping Related Conversations

I navigate to the projects section in the left sidebar. Under projects, the AI is going to remember an awful lot more specific to each project.

The more I can nestle some of my content under each project, it's going to remember that group of conversations. I click over into my online business coach project, which I've created to help me bounce my ideas off ChatGPT so I can get a different perspective and a little bit more of a challenge in how I'm thinking.

Here I've got some threads. I can see YouTube strategy planning, designing product suite, and weekly email templates. I've used this as a little bit of an online business coach to back and forth just to try and bounce my ideas off.

If I've gone back and forth in a chat and I've got some good outputs, I can then just click on the three dots. Then I can move to project and I can click online business coach.

Adding Files and Reference Materials

In this actual project, in this nestle of projects, I can add materials that the AI will reference. The project structure allows me to keep related resources together in one place.

This helps maintain organization across my different workflows. Each project can contain its own specific materials and context.

Maintaining Context Across Interactions

Anything I chat about within this online business coach project, the AI is going to remember those chat history. If I'm talking about my YouTube strategy, then I want to talk about my weekly email, it's going to remember across those chats.

If I just chat to it without using projects, it's probably not as good as if I'm going to put it under a project. This is in addition to personalizing the custom instructions.

The project feature means the AI retains context between different conversations within the same project. This allows me to build on previous discussions without having to repeat information each time.

Maximizing Productivity Using AI Tools

Integrating ChatGPT Into Daily Routines

I don't expect you to keep up with all of the new advancements and improvements with AI tech, but if you just follow these three simple steps, you're going to be 95% ahead of anyone else using this large language model. I teach some of my private clients these three simple steps and they are leveraging this new technology to actually increase their workflow and get better results.

The majority of people I see and hear using ChatGPT are just spitting out generic results because they're not using this platform in the best way possible.

Creating Your Account

I'm currently using ChatGPT 5.1. These things progress so fast. Depending on where you are in the world, it's rolling out all the time.

You've got to decide whether you want the free version or the paid version. You can use the free version and get really good results from it, but I actually have the paid version. I think it's a really good investment to get a business coach, something like a bit of a sparring partner to bounce ideas off and challenge your way of thinking.

The first thing I would do is navigate or Google to ChatGPT or OpenAI and open an account. Use either your work email or if it's a business that you're running, enter your business email. Don't just use an incognito. I would really encourage you to log in and start to train this AI on who you are, what you do, and who you serve.

Understanding the Interface

Here's what you need to know about the ChatGPT window:

• Top right: Start a group chat or turn on a temporary chat
• Top left: Refresh the window or close down the sidebar
• New chat button: Click to start a new chat
• Search function: Search through your chats
• Library of chats: Access all your previous conversations
• Codex: If you are coding or building out any kind of web pages, this AI will help you generate that code
• Atlas: A web browser that OpenAI now owns
• Custom GPTs: Create your own or search from a library of them
• Projects: A history of your own chats

I probably wouldn't advise using temporary chat. I would probably only advise this if you're testing things for a client that you don't really want to train this chat on you.

It's a really good idea to get to know this platform and understand this window in particular.

Personalizing ChatGPT

The first thing I'm going to look at doing is personalizing this ChatGPT, this large language model on who I am and what I do and who I serve. The more information you can give this large language model, the better the results.

The majority of people I just see opening up a window and starting to prompt and ask ChatGPT for certain responses. It's going to give generic responses if you don't give it specific prompts.

It is just a simple way of asking the AI anything you want. You can click into the bar and ask it questions. But it's really key to try and have an understanding of the output that you want from this AI.

Creating Effective Prompts

The best thing to do is ask ChatGPT how to prompt. If you have an understanding of the end result that you want, you can ask chat to help you with your prompts.

Here's the prompt I created:

"Create me a single paragraph prompt that I could use within any ChatGPT to help update my custom instructions and more about you section so I can get better results."

Custom instructions and the more about you section are the ones or the sections you want to really lean into and customize so you can get better results in the future. The more information you can provide this AI, the better responses you're going to get.

Don't worry if you don't know what to prompt, you can just ask the AI to create you a prompt.

Working with Custom Instructions

ChatGPT will ask questions about:

• Strategic positioning
• Boundaries and non-negotiables
• My operating rhythm
• My audience precision
• My output style rules

It wants to ask me a lot more questions to try and ascertain what I am doing, who I serve, and how I help them. If you're happy with these questions, I would really lean into this and spend some time going through answering these at the best of your ability.

I recommend saying "Great, ask me one at a time" and then spend some time in this window. It's going to ask you the first question. Go through and answer it as best you can. It's going to be a lot of back and forth, but then at the end of this, you can say "Great. Now, give me a personalization for my custom instructions. Give me an output for my more about you section."

The more you can personalize the core of this large language model, the better this is going to remember time and time again. You're not going to have to just open a new window and say "Hey, this is me. This is who I serve. This is what I do, how I help them."

The custom instructions are going to be embedded with this ChatGPT so it's going to give you much better results.

My Custom Instructions Example

Here's what I include in my custom instructions:

• I'm an online business coach
• I run a one-person lifestyle-first online business at timpeakman.com
• I help experts, teachers, coaches, instructors, specialists grow online

Now this ChatGPT has personalization on for me. This is the first step I would probably try and encourage everyone to do if they are leaning into ChatGPT to try and help them with their outputs. Try and get their outputs a lot faster.

Rather than just using it as a bit of a chat dialogue, give this AI as much information about you if you're running an online business as you can. The responses are going to be that much more tailored to you.

That's how to use AI to help you with prompting. And that's how to use those prompts to actually personalize your ChatGPT.

Using Projects

The next thing I would always encourage people to do is start a new project. Under projects, this AI is going to remember an awful lot more specific to each project.

The more you can nestle some of your content under each project, it's going to remember that group of conversations.

Example Projects I've Created:

Continuing Learning and Staying Updated

I pay for ChatGPT and I pay for Google Gemini just so I can get feedback from some of the strategies and tactics I'm using in my online business today. I think it's a really good investment to get a business coach, something like a sparring partner to bounce ideas off and challenge my way of thinking.

I would really encourage you to log in and start to train this AI on who you are, what you do, and who you serve. The more information you can give this large language model, the better the results.

Getting Started with the Platform

I'm currently using Chat GPT 5.1. These things progress so fast. Depending on where you are in the world, it's rolling out all the time.

You've got to decide whether you want the free version or the paid version. You can use the free version and get really good results from the free version, but I actually have the paid version.

Understanding the Interface

Here are the key features I use in the ChatGPT window:

• Up in the top right, you can start a group chat or turn on a temporary chat
• Up in the top left, you can refresh the window and close down the sidebar
• Click to start a new chat
• Search chats functionality
• Library of chats
• Codex: For coding and building web pages
• Atlas: A web browser that OpenAI now owns
• Custom GPTs: Create your own or search from a library
• Projects: Organize related conversations

I probably wouldn't advise using temporary chat. I would probably only advise this if you're testing things for a client that you don't really want to train this chat on you.

Personalizing Your AI

The first thing I'm going to look at doing is personalizing this chat GPT, this large language model on who I am and what I do and who I serve. The majority of people I just see opening up a window and starting to prompt and ask ChatGPT for certain responses.

It's going to give generic responses if you don't give it specific prompts. It's really key to try and have an understanding of the output that you want from this AI.

The best thing to do is ask ChatGPT how to prompt. If you have an understanding of the end result that you want, you can ask chat to help you with your prompts.

I've already created a prompt: "Create me a single paragraph prompt that I could use within any chat GPT to help update my custom instructions and more about you section so I can get better results."

Custom Instructions and Personalization

Custom instructions and the more about you section are the ones or the sections you want to really lean into and customize so you can get better results in the future. The more information you can provide this AI, the better responses you're going to get.

If you haven't created custom instructions just yet, don't worry. The AI will ask you questions like:

1. Strategic positioning
2. Boundaries and non-negotiables
3. My operating rhythm
4. My audience precision
5. My output style rules

If you're happy with these questions, I would really lean into this and spend some time going through answering these at the best of your ability. It's going to ask you the first question and you go through and answer it as best you can.

It's going to be a lot of back and forth, but then at the end of this, you can say, "Great. Now, give me a personalization for my custom instructions. Give me an output for my more about you section."

The more you can personalize the core of this large language model, the better this is going to remember time and time again. You're not going to have to just open a new window and say, "Hey, this is me. This is who I serve. This is what I do, how I help them."

The custom instructions are going to be embedded with this chat GPT so it's going to give you much better results. I've got all my custom instructions down. I'm an online business coach. I run a one-person lifestyle-first online business at timpeakman.com. I help experts, teachers, coaches, instructors, specialists grow online.

Using Projects

The next thing I would always encourage people to do is start a new project. Under projects, this AI is going to remember an awful lot more specific to each project.

The more you can nestle some of your content under each project, it's going to remember that group of conversations. I've created an AI coach to help me bounce my ideas off chat GPT or AI so I can get a different perspective and a little bit more of a challenge in how I'm thinking.

I've got some threads here:

• YouTube strategy planning
• Designing product suite
• Weekly email templates

I've used this as a bit of an online business coach to back and forth just to try and bounce my ideas off. If you've gone back and forth and you've got some good outputs, you can then just click on the three dots and then move to project.

In this actual project, in this nestle of projects, anything you chat about within this project, this AI is going to remember those chat history. If I'm talking about my YouTube strategy, then I want to talk about my weekly email, it's going to remember across those chats.

This is in addition to personalizing. You can give feedback by clicking thumbs up if you like a response or thumbs down if you want to train it that something wasn't good. You can either try it again, regenerate, or share the response.