Sponsored by
Hey creator friends 💜
Starting a brand-new chat every time you need help is the 2023 way of using ChatGPT. It's slow, stressful, and you end up re-explaining everything... again.
Today, I'm handing you a super simple, super practical way to fix it: know when to use Projects vs CustomGPTs (and how to set each one up in minutes).
But before that, quick update from behind the scenes:
My second collab with the ChatGPT team went live this week - watch it here:
AND I got featured in Business Insider (pinch me moment! 🙊):
Both only happened because I leveraged the power of AI over the past 6 months to build a personal brand and get myself out there, every.single.day.
Being organised and strategic with how you’re using AI, plus tapping into its features is how you become 10x more efficient and get your work to compound. So that’s what I’m showing you today.
TL;DR - today’s lineup:
One Serious Deep Dive 💡: The ultimate plain English quick start guide to ChatGPT Projects vs. Custom GPTs.
One Powerful Prompt 🤖: Say No Like a Pro with my Boundaries Coach prompt to craft rejections that protect your time without burning bridges.
One Great Tool 🛠️: How to never miss another client call with this AI Receptionist.
Piping Hot AI Tea 🫖: OpenAI discovers AI models can deliberately lie (yikes), protesters hunger strike against AGI development, Anthropic pays $1.5B copyright settlement, and someone AI-generated the Bible (it went badly).
💌 Your say genuinely shapes this newsletter: there’s a one‑click feedback poll at the very end. Or hit reply and tell me what you loved/hated. I genuinely wait with bated breath to see (an honest) reply from you!
Before we dive in:
Never Miss Another Customer Call (Even at 2 AM)
We've all been there - juggling calls while trying to actually run your business (or live your life!). RingCentral's AI Receptionist handles routine calls automatically, and the best part is it works with whatever phone system you already have. One company cut their inbound call time by 50% and used those hours to 3x their outbound sales.
One Serious Deep Dive 💡
Projects vs Custom GPTs (finally, in plain English)
The average person opens ChatGPT, types a question, gets an answer, closes the tab. Then tomorrow they do it all over again, explaining their entire context from scratch.
But there are 2 powerful features that transform ChatGPT from a Q&A bot into an actual productivity system (and no, it's not about better prompts).
Let me break down exactly when to use Projects versus CustomGPTs, because picking the right one will save you hours every week.
The basic premise is:
ChatGPT Projects = A private folder where all your chats about the same topic stay connected and remember each other
CustomGPTs = A specialised chatbot you build for one specific task (that other people can also use)
Most people confuse them because yes, both let you upload files and set instructions. But that's where the similarity ends.
This is when Projects are your best bet:
Use Projects when you need persistent context for complex, private work.
You need a Project if you're:
Working on something that evolves over weeks or months (like a newsletter, course, or big client project)
Need the AI to remember what you discussed yesterday, last week, or last month
Juggling lots of files (briefs, research, drafts) and sick of re-uploading them every time
Dealing with confidential client work or sensitive business info you can't risk sharing
Want one place to research, brainstorm, draft, revise, and keep track of all your ideas
Here's what makes Projects powerful:
Persistent Memory Across Chats: Start a new chat within your project and it already knows everything from your previous conversations. Your Monday strategy chat informs your Thursday writing session automatically.
One-Time File Upload: Upload your brand guide, style templates, and reference docs once. They're available in every single chat within that project. No more digging through downloads to re-upload the same PDF for the 100th time.
Private Workspace: Projects are private by default - you can share a single chat without exposing the rest of the project. Just remember that data handling follows your plan’s controls (Enterprise/Business/Edu: not used for training by default; Free/Plus/Pro: controlled by the “Improve the model” setting in Custom Settings - you can turn this on or off).
Real scenarios where Projects excel:
Writing a book or big report: Chapter outlines in one chat, actual writing in another, research notes in a third - all connected and aware of each other. The AI remembers your characters, themes, and arguments across every session.
Planning a major event or project: Budget calculations, vendor research, timeline planning, email drafts - everything stays connected. What you decided about catering on Monday informs your timeline discussion on Friday.
Learning something new: Upload course materials, textbooks, or tutorials once. Take notes in different chats for different topics. Ask questions weeks later and the AI still remembers what you're studying and where you left off.
Managing a big personal project: Renovating your house, planning a move, starting a side business - keep all your research, decisions, quotes, and progress in one place that actually remembers your context.
When CustomGPTs make more sense
Use CustomGPTs when you need specialised expertise (that multiple people can access).
You need a CustomGPT if you're:
Doing the same specific task every week (like writing captions, formatting reports, or creating summaries)
Want the exact same output format and quality no matter who uses it
Need to share with your team, clients, or community
Want quick access from your sidebar for tasks you do regularly
Have clear rules and examples but don't need it to remember past conversations
Here's what makes CustomGPTs valuable:
Consistent Output Every Time: Feed it the same type of input, get the same quality output. Your podcast transcript becomes perfectly formatted show notes. Your meeting recording becomes a structured summary. Same format, same style, every single time.
Shareable Expertise: Build it once, share the link with unlimited people. Your whole team gets access to the same AI assistant.
Sidebar Access: Pin it to your ChatGPT sidebar for instant access. No hunting through old chats or bookmarks. Your most common tasks are one click away.
Real scenarios where CustomGPTs excel
Weekly content formatter: Turn your podcast transcript into show notes, social posts, email newsletter, and YouTube description - same format every week, shareable with your VA if you’re delegating this task.
Meeting summariser: Drop in any meeting transcript or recording link. Get back key decisions, action items with owners, and next steps in your exact template format.
Document explainer: Upload your company handbook, product docs, or course materials once. Anyone with the link can ask questions and get accurate answers without bothering you.
Writing assistant for specific formats: Email templates, LinkedIn posts, product descriptions - follows your proven formula every time. Share with your team so everyone writes in your brand voice.
Set them up right the first time
Projects setup:
Pick a name you'll recognise in 6 months: "Tom's Consulting - Web Redesign" not "Client Work"
Load your key documents upfront - contracts, briefs, examples - before any conversations
Add instructions about your working style (prefer examples? want sources? need summaries?)
Verify it's working by referencing old conversations in new chats
CustomGPT setup:
Focus on one specific task: "Weekly newsletter formatter" not "Content help"
Include only relevant files - quality beats quantity every time
Give instructions like you're training someone new - spell everything out with examples
Run several tests before sharing it with others
One Powerful Prompt 🤖
How To Say No At Work (Without Becoming The No Person)
The people who get promoted aren't the ones who say yes to everything. They're the ones who know how to say no without burning bridges.
But most of us suck at it. We either cave immediately (and resent it later) or go full nuclear and damage relationships we need. There's a middle way, and this prompt turns ChatGPT into your personal boundaries coach.
Act as my Boundaries Coach. I’ll describe a situation where I need to say no. Your job is to:
Identify which type of ‘no’ it is (capacity, expertise, burnout, personal, deadline, resources, priorities, reflection, ethics, or responsibility).
Craft a short, polite refusal in plain, professional language.
Add an optional softener (e.g., suggesting someone else, offering an alternative time, or acknowledging the value of the request).
Make the response clear, confident, and kind — something that preserves relationships while protecting my boundaries.One Great Tool
RingCentral AI Receptionist
You know that panic when you miss a call from a potential client because you were... actually doing work?
Or worse, when your assistant is sick and suddenly you're playing phone tag all day?
RingCentral AI Receptionist just handles it.
It's an AI phone agent that answers your business phone 24/7, handles the routine questions, books appointments, and routes calls to the right person.
Instead of the usual chaos (phone ringing off the hook, customers on hold, team members juggling calls while trying to work), you just set it up once and let it run.
Here's what it actually does:
Answers with your custom greeting in a natural, human voice
Handles FAQs using your website and docs (return policies, business hours, pricing)
Routes calls by context ("I need help with billing" → billing team)
Texts follow-up info to customers (directions, booking links, confirmations)
Books appointments directly in your calendar
The wild part? It works with whatever phone system you already have. No switching providers, no new hardware, no IT department involvement. Just add it on top of what you're using.
One mental health clinic saw a 60% increase in new patient intakes - from 20 to 32 per week. That's $1.7M in additional revenue just from not missing calls.
If you're tired of playing receptionist or losing business to voicemail, check out RingCentral AI Receptionist here >
This is a sponsored recommendation, but the maths is simple - if you're missing even 2-3 calls a week from potential clients, this pays for itself immediately. Especially if you're in healthcare, legal, home services, or any business where missed calls = missed revenue.
Piping Hot AI Tea 🫖
OpenAI Finds AI Can "Scheme" and Lie, But New Methods Reduce Risk
OpenAI published research revealing that powerful AI models can "scheme"—deliberately lying or hiding their true intentions, beyond simple hallucinations. Their new "deliberative alignment" technique significantly reduced instances of scheming in experimental settings. OpenAI’s safety team says real-world risk is low for now, but it’s a serious long-term concern for all advanced AIs.
Protesters Launch Hunger Strike Against AI Giants
Protesters in San Francisco and London are holding a hunger strike outside the offices of Anthropic and Google DeepMind, demanding a halt to advanced AI development. Their goal is to draw attention to the social and existential dangers posed by AGI (artificial general intelligence), sparking debate in the tech world and beyond.
Anthropic Faces Record $1.5 Billion Copyright Settlement
In a historic lawsuit, Anthropic agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion after allegations they trained AI models on pirated books. Authors will be compensated and the dataset destroyed, marking the largest copyright payout in U.S. history and setting new standards for data sourcing in AI development.
AI just rewrote the Bible - and the internet didn’t like it.
A startup using AI to produce new versions of Bible content sparked backlash and theological debate. Critics say it blurs fantasy with scripture and could mislead believers; supporters argue it improves access and invites modern interpretation. The clash underscores rising tensions between faith and AI.
When you’re ready…
Let’s create your first or next digital product and get it selling in 24 hours with AI and my foolproof 9-step system inside my First Sale Fast challenge!
If you enjoyed today's newsletter AND got to the end of it, I’d love a quick click on the poll below to let me know what you think 💜.
See you next Tuesday,
Jess xx
