AGE OF AIMPIRES

HOW-TO / 02

Give The Job Its Own Rules

General preferences should follow you across conversations. Rules for one piece of ongoing work should stay with that work.

What You'll Achieve

Write instructions for one continuing job, such as a renovation, a course or a monthly report. They apply to that job and nowhere else.

Suppose "keep the budget under €12,000" sits in your general preferences. It will shape every unrelated conversation. Job-specific instructions keep it where it belongs.

Give The Work Its Own Rules

  1. Decide whether the rule is general or specific.

    Ask whether it still makes sense in an unrelated conversation. "Use metric units" does, so it belongs in your general preferences. "Separate essential work from optional upgrades" does not, so it belongs to the job.

  2. Find a place for the job's instructions.

    Some assistants offer a dedicated workspace for related conversations and files, with its own instructions. The name and the behaviour vary, and some assistants may not offer one. To check yours, see How To Check Whether You Have This Feature. If your assistant does not offer a dedicated workspace, paste the job-specific instructions at the start of each new conversation about that work.

  3. Write down what is specific to the job.

    Cover:

    • the outcome you want
    • important constraints
    • how options should be compared
    • facts or assumptions that must stay consistent

  4. Leave out what your general preferences already say.

    Repeat a preference only when this job needs something different.

  5. Keep instructions and source material separate.

    Instructions tell the assistant how to work. Files and conversations can provide information to work from. Put source material in files or conversations. Keep the instructions for rules.

Example: ChatGPT

In ChatGPT, this feature is called Projects. On desktop web, select New project in the sidebar. Inside the project, open the ••• menu, choose Project settings, then add the project instructions. Project instructions apply only within that project and override global Custom Instructions.

Try This

I'm planning a small kitchen renovation. Keep the total budget below €12,000. Separate essential work from optional upgrades. When comparing products, show price, durability and maintenance. Flag anything that needs a professional installer instead of assuming I can do it myself.

Quick Test

Inside the job's workspace, or in a new conversation where you pasted the rules, ask:

Compare three sensible flooring options.

The answer should respect the budget and compare options by price, durability and maintenance, without you repeating the rules.

Then open an unrelated conversation and ask for a dinner idea. It should not mention kitchen budgets.