📚 Automate Your Work with ChatGPT Tasks

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Hello AI Enthusiast,

ChatGPT rolled out a new feature that brings a practical twist to our daily AI interactions. Tasks, now in beta, lets you schedule specific ChatGPT conversations to run automatically at set times. Whether you need daily market insights, learning materials, or content drafts, you can now automate these interactions to happen on schedule.

The Problem

Most tools we use for recurring tasks fall into two limiting categories. On one side, reminder apps can only notify you to do something as they can't actually help complete the task.

On the other side, newsletters and automated content services deliver information but on their schedule, not yours, and with limited personalization. Let us give you some quick examples. A social media manager can receive pre-drafted posts every morning, a research analyst can get market summaries before trading hours, and you can customize both the timing and content to match your workflow.

Let's explore how to set up these automated interactions to make your workday more efficient.

How To Use It Step-by-Step

Before we dive into the setup, let's clear up a few important details: ChatGPT Tasks is currently available only for Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers, and it's still in beta. You're limited to 10 active tasks, and you can't use files, custom GPTs, or voice mode with it.

Step 1: Choose Your Task Model

First things first, you'll need to select the right model. Click the model dropdown and choose "GPT-4o with scheduled tasks."

Step 2: Create Your First Task

Instead of just chatting with ChatGPT, you'll tell it what you want it to do and when. Let's say you want a daily market analysis report. You might write:

"Create a task that every weekday at 8 AM, analyzes the top tech industry news and provides a brief summary focusing on AI developments and market trends."

ChatGPT will confirm your schedule and create the task.

Step 3: Configure Your Notifications 

Head over to Settings > Notifications to choose how you want to be notified. You've got two options:

• Email notifications (enabled by default)

• Push notifications (great for immediate updates)

Pro tip: Enable both during testing to see which works better for your workflow.

And here’s what an email notification looks like.

Step 4: Manage Your Tasks 

Click your profile avatar and select "Tasks" to view everything you've set up. Here you can:

• Edit task instructions

• Adjust schedules

• Pause tasks when needed

• Delete tasks you no longer need

Each task can be either recurring (like our daily market analysis) or one-time (perfect for project deadlines or important reminders).

Common Gotchas and Pro Tips

• Always test your task with a one-minute timer first to make sure it works as expected

• Keep your instructions clear and specific

• Remember that tasks can't access previous chat context

• Monitor your task count, you've got a 10-task limit

Want to get even more practical? Let's look at some real-world applications.

Real-World Tasks List 😶‍🌫️

Your Turn

Here's a fun little exercise to get you started. Spend 5 minutes thinking about your typical workday. What are those recurring tasks that make you think, "Ugh, this again?" Choose one task, just one, that you'd love to automate. Here's a super simple way to test the waters:

1) Always test your task with a one-minute timer first. Try this:

Create a task scheduled for 1 minute from now to [your intended action]. Make this a one-time task.

2) Check the output. Not quite right? Try tweaking your prompt. Maybe add more specifics about your audience, preferred style, or key points to cover.

3) Once you're happy with the results, set it up as a recurring task with your preferred schedule.

If something doesn't work quite right you can always edit or delete tasks from your task management panel.

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• Corporate Training: Tailored AI training for your team.

• Practical Introduction to ChatGPT: Free course on effectively using ChatGPT.

We'll be back with more AI tips soon!