{"id":3934,"date":"2026-09-05T12:52:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/?p=3934"},"modified":"2026-09-05T12:52:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:52:23","slug":"2-customizing-chatgpt-the-five-minutes-that-will-save-you-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/?p=3934","title":{"rendered":"2. Customizing ChatGPT: The Five Minutes That Will Save You Hours"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Screenshot by Lori Samuelson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In my last article, I explained why every genealogist should customize their artificial intelligence assistant before asking it to help with research. Think of it as introducing a new research assistant to your way of working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let’s put that idea into practice with ChatGPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entire process takes only a few minutes, yet it can dramatically improve the quality and consistency of the responses you receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Open Your Settings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign in to ChatGPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Select your profile icon in the lower left corner of the screen, clicking on the circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the dropdown, select Personalization. This is where you’ll find the options that allow ChatGPT to adapt to the way you work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click on Personalization and scroll down to the box under Custom Instructions. That’s where you will put in your directions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Tell ChatGPT About Your Work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t write a biography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, tell ChatGPT what it needs to know in order to work effectively with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you might include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 I am an intermediate genealogist researching families in Ohio and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 I prefer Chicago-style source citations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Always distinguish between facts, evidence, assumptions, and hypotheses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Never invent missing information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 State clearly when evidence is inconclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Use military-style dates such as 21 March 1850.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Write in a conversational but professional tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice that none of these instructions reveal private information. They simply describe how you want your AI assistant to approach its work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Explain How You Like Information Presented<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Formatting matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you frequently ask ChatGPT to create timelines, research plans, proof summaries, tables, or blog posts, mention that in your instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I prefer timelines arranged chronologically.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Separate proven facts from working hypotheses.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Use headings and short paragraphs for readability.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more consistently you work, the more useful these instructions become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: Don’t Try to Tell It Everything<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One mistake I often see is people creating pages and pages of instructions. My research assistant, Geni, informed me that someone uploade 60 pages here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resist the temptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long instruction lists often include information that is rarely used or eventually becomes outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, include only those preferences that affect most of your conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can always provide additional instructions for a particular project when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t forget to hit SAVE!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 5: Update Your Settings Over Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your settings should evolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you notice yourself making the same correction repeatedly, consider adding that instruction to your saved preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you always ask ChatGPT to avoid speculation. Maybe you repeatedly remind it to cite sources or to identify conflicting evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re saying the same thing over and over, your settings probably need an update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember: Settings Are Not Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Custom instructions improve consistency, but they do not replace careful review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still verify every citation, read every record myself, and evaluate every conclusion before I publish or share it with a client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI is an assistant, not a substitute for genealogical judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few minutes spent customizing ChatGPT today can save hours of rewriting tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next article, we’ll compare how Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity allow you to personalize their responses and discuss which features are most useful for genealogists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my last article, I explained why every genealogist should customize their artificial intelligence assistant before asking it to help with research. Think of it as introducing a new research assistant to your way of working. Now let’s put that idea into practice with ChatGPT. The entire process takes only a few minutes, yet it … Continue reading “2. Customizing ChatGPT: The Five Minutes That Will Save You Hours”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[1131,1434,1433],"class_list":["post-3934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology","tag-ai","tag-customization","tag-personalization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3934"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3978,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3934\/revisions\/3978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}