How to unlock the power of ChatGPT

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps.

I’ve recently written about free, private AI tools and the best AI mobile apps. To build on that AI series, I’m sharing a new guest post today on how to make the most of AI by Frank Andrade, The PyCoach. He’s an AI & Python instructor who has helped thousands of people on YouTube and Substack master AI with beginner-friendly guides and in-depth tutorials. As he starts a new journey on Instagram, he’s offering his ChatGPT course free to anyone who follows & DMs him.

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I’ve been using ChatGPT since the day it was released. Back then, there were no fancy features, model picker, or alternative AI tools to choose from.

Things have changed in 2025 and I’d like to share with you some things I’ve learned so far:

1. A couple of times per year, you’ll see headlines about a new “world’s most powerful model.” Ignore the hype. Stick to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or whatever tool you use. Give it a couple of months, and the headlines will be about your tool.
2. ChatGPT can make you more productive or dumber. An MIT study found that while AI can significantly boost productivity, it may also weaken your critical thinking. Use it as an assistant, not a substitute for your brain.
3. If you’re a student, use study mode in ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. When this feature is enabled, the chatbots will guide you through problems rather than just giving full answers, so you’ll be doing the critical thinking.
4. ChatGPT and other chatbots can confidently make stuff up (aka AI hallucinations). If you suspect something isn’t right, double-check its answers.
5. NotebookLM hallucinates less than most AI tools, but it requires you to upload sources (PDFs, audio, video) and won’t answer questions beyond those materials. That said, it’s great for students and anyone with materials to upload.Share
6. Probably the most underrated AI feature is deep research. It automates web searching for you and returns a fully cited report with minimal hallucinations in five to 30 minutes. It’s available in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, so give it a try.
7. ChatGPT and other chatbots have a short-term memory limit. In long threads, they may lose earlier details. I’ve learned to periodically restate key points from the initial instructions or start a new chat when necessary.
8. ChatGPT may occasionally misclassify a legitimate question as policy-violating. When it does, I reword the prompt or explain why I’m asking.
9. Free < Plus < Pro. Paid tiers are worth it for the extra intelligence and features. Pro tiers go further and can give you an edge, though not everyone needs it. If you handle high-stakes tasks, try Pro at least for 1 month.
10. You shouldn’t stick to the default ChatGPT mode. Go to the model picker and try instant, thinking mini, and thinking (here I explain each mode). If you have a pro subscription, use pro mode more often.
11. The next big thing in AI is AI agents. An example is ChatGPT agent—think of it as ChatGPT that can take extra steps beyond a text response. It doesn’t just respond to prompts. It can take actions on the web (visit sites, click buttons, scroll) and work toward a goal with minimal human input.
12. Em dashes were around long before tools like ChatGPT ever existed, so don’t hesitate to use them if that is part of your writing style.
13. It doesn’t hurt to learn the technical stuff behind AI tools. In fact, it can clarify some key concepts and make you more confident when you talk or use AI.
14. ChatGPT can’t browse the web by default, but if you turn on “Web Search,“ it can even become a good replacement for Google Search (another good AI alternative is Perplexity).
15. It’s not wrong to use ChatGPT like Google Search sometimes. You’ll often get immediate answers and move faster. Just don’t forget to use temporary chats and projects to keep your chats tidy.
16. Prompt crafting (or prompt engineering) is a skill you need to build if you want to make the most out of AI tools.
17. AI moves fast, so you need to adapt. As ChatGPT gets smarter, some prompting techniques get outdated, while new ones emerge.
18. Text expanders are a big time-saver for prompts. Tools like Alfred, Beeftext, or Text Blaze let you quickly type prompts and save, organize, and reuse prompt templates. [JC: Raycast is another good option for this.]
19. You can be just as productive on the ChatGPT mobile app as on the web. On iPhone, the built-in Text Replacement feature works like a text expander and helps you type prompts faster. Find it under General→ Keyboard→ Text Replacement.
20. Use voice mode in your phone to brainstorm or talk through topics when you want a second opinion. I’ve tried this many times, and I’m usually satisfied with the results.
21. ChatGPT speaks many languages. You can practice your speaking and writing skills anytime. For translation, it beats literal, word-for-word tools like Google Translate because it understands context, intent, and cultural nuance.
22. Chatbots can be overly agreeable. To get less agreeable responses, ask for opposing viewpoints, multiple perspectives, and a critical take (if possible, avoid inserting your own opinions). See Jeremy’s piece on how to prompt boldly for more surprising, unusual responses.
23. Midjourney is great for generating outstanding AI images, but for beginners, ChatGPT offers a better balance of ease of use and image quality (just make sure you follow this simple tweak).
24. AI tools have made coding more accessible through vibe coding. However, if you don’t know (or want to learn) the basics of programming, you’ll waste your time, because, at least for now, you have to guide the AI, check its work, and put it on the right course.
25. Some AI companies are more privacy-invasive than others. According to a report, Le Chat (Mistral AI), ChatGPT (OpenAI), and Grok (xAI) are the least privacy-invasive platforms. Meta AI and Gemini (Google) were found to be the most aggressive in data collection and the least transparent about their practices. See Jeremy’s resources for private AI.

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Making the most of ChatGPT features

Since ChatGPT was initially released, OpenAI has added a lot of features to improve the way we work with it. Some are essential, while others are more domain-specific. Most features can be accessed via the + button.

Here are the features that every ChatGPT user should know:

• Web Search: Web search can help you get answers to contemporary questions.
• File Uploads: You can upload files such as PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and presentations to ChatGPT.
• Projects: You can create folders to better organize your chats.
• Temporary chats: Great for one-off questions, helping you avoid clutter in your chat list.
• Voice mode: You can speak to ChatGPT instead of typing. Very useful when you’re on the phone. See Jeremy’s guide to ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode.

The rest of the features are more advanced and for specific use-cases.

• Create Image: A beginner-friendly tool that creates images or edits existing ones from plain-English prompts (this tweak helps me get the most out of it). See Jeremy’s guide to ChatGPT’s new image generation tool.
• Deep research: Spends several minutes searching the internet to build complete reports on topics that need evidence, comparisons, and step-by-step reasoning.
• ChatGPT agent: It can take actions on the web (visit sites, click buttons, scroll) and work toward a goal with minimal human input.
• Study mode: A learning-focused mode that explains answers at your level, breaks topics into steps, and tracks what you’ve mastered or need to review.
• GPTs: Custom versions of ChatGPT you can configure with specific instructions, knowledge files, and tools to specialize in a topic or workflow.
• Personalization: Setting up custom instructions and memory lets ChatGPT know more about you and provides tailored responses.

These features can also be used in the mobile app. In the guide below, I explain how I set up my iPhone to boost my ChatGPT productivity.

???? iPhone setup for ChatGPT: Features to boost productivity in ChatGPT

Want to learn more?

Stage 1: Sharpen how you write prompts

Prompting is how we communicate with AI. Writing good prompts is essential for anyone working with AI tools. ChatGPT has many features and modes, but they won’t matter if you don’t know how to write good prompts.

The basic prompt: Task + Context

There’s a ChatGPT prompt formula to get better responses. However, if I were learning prompting again, I wouldn’t start with the formula. Why? The complete formula is valuable for advanced work, but for most everyday tasks, it’s overkill.

Using all elements from the formula will slow you down and waste time. Most of the time, you’ll only need two elements: task + context

• Task: What you want ChatGPT to do
• Context: The extra details the model needs to deliver a more tailored response

Here’s a prompt example:

I’m a 75kg man who wants to gain 5kg of muscle in 1 year. Build a 1-year training program to follow. I don’t have previous experience and I can train 4–5 days per week (60–75 min per session).

In the example, the task is to build a 1-year training program, while the context is the person’s information and background to create a personalized program.

The basic prompt should be enough for most everyday tasks. That said, when we do more complex tasks, we’ll need to use more elements from the formula.

Advanced track: The complete prompt formula

The prompt formula I use has four extra elements:

• Exemplar: A short sample response that shows the structure to emulate
• Persona: Who ChatGPT should “be” while answering (aka role)
• Format: The required structure and presentation (tables, length, etc)
• Tone: The voice and vibe the response should adopt (friendly, formal, etc)

When you feel that task and context aren’t enough to get a good response, add one of these extra elements to your prompt.

For example, if I were a personal trainer, the basic prompt would be a good start to build a program for a few clients. However, as my client base grew, I’d need a more robust, reusable prompt I could apply across clients.

In the guide below, I transform our basic prompt into a more robust one by using every element of the formula.

???? ChatGPT prompt formula: Examples, when to use it, and when not

Stage 2: Learn how GPT-5 works

ChatGPT used to have a wide variety of models to choose from (o3, 4o, o4-mini, etc). They were consolidated into GPT-5, which has a system that decides whether to use its Chat or Thinking mode for your task. The issue with GPT-5 is that the system doesn’t always do a good job and might assign low reasoning to a task that needs deeper reasoning.

It’s best to avoid the default mode (aka auto) and choose manually the mode we need:

• Instant: Gives fast answers without spending extra time on reasoning steps
• Thinking: ChatGPT will think more carefully before answering. Responses take longer, but they’re more structured, detailed, and well thought out.
• Pro: Research-grade intelligence for high-stakes tasks

Pro mode is only available to Pro subscribers. For 95% of people, instant and thinking (available to Plus subscribers) should be enough. For more details, check out my guides below.

???? Complete guide on ChatGPT-5 modes: Who should use it, use-cases, & weaknesses
???? ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscriptions: Worth it?

Advanced track

There are more advanced concepts you can learn to get better responses with GPT-5. Let’s start with those that can be applied in the ChatGPT web app:

• Instruction following: Avoid contradictory instructions in your prompts. The model may get confused or waste time trying to reconcile the conflicts.
• Verbosity refers to the length and detail of ChatGPT’s responses. Low verbosity is good for critical info and key takeaways, while high verbosity suits comprehensive, in-depth answers. You can explicitly set a word limit in your prompt.
• GPT-5 prompt optimizer: OpenAI’s advanced tool helps sharpen your prompts. It can identify contradictory instructions or other weaknesses.

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps.