Like any tool, in the hands of an experienced user, ChatGPT is a lot more powerful. In this article, we’re sharing some life hacks for using ChatGPT effectively.
Why are my ChatGPT responses inaccurate?
If you’ve worked with ChatGPT or its alternatives, you’ve probably noticed that sometimes the answers are spot-on — making it a joy to use.
But on other days, everything it generates misses the mark. This has even led to conspiracy theories online — like “AI is getting worse over time.” Like in this OpenAI Developer community thread:
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☝️ Most likely, the problem isn’t with the bot, but with how you’re interacting with it.
Once you get used to ChatGPT “understanding you with half a word,” your prompts — instructions to the chatbot — may become more and more vague.
Below, we list the most common mistakes users make with AI, along with examples of how to avoid them.
Asking AI vague questions
For example, a question like “Explain” or “What is this?” doesn’t give the model enough context — it won't understand what you want it to actually do. ChatGPT gives more accurate answers when prompts are very specific.
Example:
❌ Was my sentence wrong?
✅ Please explain what stylistic mistakes I made, why they’re mistakes, and what I need to do to fix them now and not make them in the future.
Overloading with information
Models have a limited context window. It’s rumored that GPT-4o’s context window is 128,000 tokens. If you feed it too much text or have an overly long conversation, the model will start glitching.
Why it matters: The AI can get confused and fail to identify what’s important in your prompt.
☝️ Tip: Images and files take up more memory than text.
Ignoring follow-up questions
The first answer from ChatGPT is usually too general. Don’t assume that’s all there is and, and immediately decide that the AI can’t help you. Instead, ask some follow-up questions.
Example:
After a general answer, ask: “Tell me more about point 5,” or “I got the basics — now explain it to me like I’m an expert.”
Using negative phrasing
This is when your question includes a lot of “nots” — “Don’t do this,” “Don’t say that,” “Don’t write in this style.”
Why it matters: AI models sometimes skip over the word “not” — so instead of “Don’t write like this,” the AI sees “Write like this.” It’s better to phrase things in a positive voice.
Example:
❌ Don’t write in style B
✅ Write in style A
Your tone and the desired tone differ too much
AI works like an echo — it picks up on your tone and returns back a version of it. If you write very formally and then ask the AI to respond in a friendly and modern voice, you’ll get a weird mush back.
But if your original message is already written in the tone you want, the AI will match it.
Why it matters: ChatGPT might give you a response that’s too formal — or too casual — or one that falls into the uncanny valley.
Example:
❌ Write a text in the field of internet communications about weight loss through dieting, in the style of an online publication.
✅ Write about how to lose weight in 10 days in the style of a modern lifestyle blog.
☝️Tip: if the goal was to write an official document, the first example actually uses the correct tone.
Expecting the AI to know all current events
Even though AI can now pull information from websites on requests, it usually uses the data from trading or fine-tuning datasets. This is usually updated once every few months or quarters.
So don’t expect the AI to be aware of what’s going on in the world right now.
Example:
❌ What new tariffs did Donald Trump introduce recently?
✅ Here’s a news article. Summarize the main points.
Not specifying structure or format
For example, asking for a general explanation when a bullet-point list or summary would be more effective.
Why it matters: A clear structure makes the response more understandable and useful.
Example:
❌ Tell me about the main stages of software development.
✅ Can you list the main stages of software development as bullet points?
Not setting a persona
A persona is like an alter-ego of the AI. You can give it a persona at the start of every chat. Paste one of these lines before your message:
- You are an assistant: Provide quick, straightforward responses without extra explanations.
- You are a teacher: Explain concepts step-by-step to help me learn.
- You are giving feedback: Act as a critical reviewer, giving detailed feedback on my work.
Here’s the same request, where the only thing changed is the persona itself.
Teacher:
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Assistant:
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Effective Prompts for ChatGPT
We've addressed the common mistakes, so let’s talk about effective prompt techniques for ChatGPT.
Prompt 1: Ask it To Make a Better Prompt
This might be the most common method used by those who haven't yet mastered prompt-writing: ask GPT to help create a prompt for itself.
Prompt:
I want you to help me create a better prompt for an AI chatbot. Here’s how we’ll work: First, you’ll ask me what the prompt should be about. I’ll answer, and we’ll improve it in a dialogue format. You’ll structure your replies in 3 sections:
a) Improved prompt
b) Suggestions
c) Questions
We’ll repeat this process until we’ve made a really good prompt. I’ll provide more details, and you’ll keep updating the Improved prompt section..
👉 Send this to ChatGPT and do what it says on screen until you’re happy with the result.
Prompt 2: Think Before Answering
When asking a complex question, tell GPT to think first before answering. Adding a phrase like “Think before answering” can lead to deeper, more thoughtful responses.
Prompt:
Think before answering: What’s the best way to structure a database for an e-commerce website?
Prompt 3: The Critic
Use GPT as a critic to improve your writing or ideas. Ask it to point out weaknesses and suggest improvements. This gives you constructive feedback and helps raise the quality of your content.
Prompt: Can you critique this paragraph and suggest improvements?
Prompt 4: Step-by-Step
If your prompt requires a process or explanation with multiple steps, ask GPT to walk through it step-by-step. This leads to clearer, more organized answers.
Prompt: Explain how to set up a virtual environment in Python, step by step.
Prompt 5: Step-by-Step Guide
Ask GPT to create a step-by-step guide for accomplishing a task. This helps break down complex actions into manageable steps.
Prompt: Create a step-by-step guide on how to integrate and configure ChatGPT in a Telegram bot using Python.
Prompt 6: Data Formatting
When you need organized information, ask GPT to format the response as a table, list, or another structured format. This makes it easier to read and use.
Prompt: Create a table with the pros and cons of different operating systems.
📝 Homework Assignment
To test these methods in practice, try doing these mini tasks:
- Try the Critic method: Start with a simple prompt like “Suggest the easiest ways to make money online.” Then use the Critic prompt and compare the results.
- Challenge ChatGPT with logic problems: Ask GPT to create a logic puzzle, then ask it to solve it. Then, request a step-by-step solution — compare the two answers.
💡 Tip: You can use ChatGPT directly in Overchat AI, our bot powered by an advanced GPT model, to help with any task.