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AI how-to: 10 prompts to try with ChatGPT or your favorite bot
Twenty-five-odd years ago, CBS and ABC execs told me tech was just a fad and passed on my national radio show. So, I syndicated it myself. The rest is history.
Now, I hear the same thing about AI: It’s a phase, and it won’t last. Hate to break it to you, but AI is here to stay, and it’s already changing everything. Start using it now or risk getting left behind.
So, what chatbot should you use?
There are so many options, but OpenAI’s ChatGPT is the most reliable I’ve found. I pay $20 a month for Pro, but a free account is fine for most folks. (Call me, Sam Altman. I’d love a freebie.)
If you want to use Chinese-built DeepSeek’s snazzy new R1 model, try it through Perplexity. It’s hosted in the U.S. and doesn’t have all the Communist China guardrails you find on the DeepSeek site.
The big caveat: You only get five free R1 searches per day. For unlimited, upgrade to Perplexity Pro for $20. Or use it for free and you’ll just get answers from a different AI model.
Now, what should you ask? The world is your oyster.
10 prompts to save and try later
1. “How can I make this better?”
Then, add in anything you’ve written. This prompt works wonders for polishing your work and pointing out improvements. Make it better by adding some context, such as “for my team or customers.”
2. “You’re an English professor. Find any typos or grammatical errors in my blog post.”
Change up the persona you’re asking it to assume and the specific instructions based on what you need. You can use this formula for just about anything. Try “You’re a life coach. Help me create a plan to achieve my goal of meditating every day for a month.”
3. “How do you know?”
This one is powerful if you’re not sure AI made something up or you just want to know the original source. Try it next time you get a suspicious answer to force AI to reveal its sources … or admit when it’s guessing. I often add to that, “I think your numbers are wrong. Double-check everything.”
4. “Remember that …”
In ChatGPT, go to Settings > Personalization and toggle on Memory. The same thing is available on Google Gemini for Advanced (paid) subscribers. Tell it something like, “Remember, I’m a tea drinker, not a coffee drinker,” and it’ll save that info.
Freebie alert: Apps that pay you to play
There are plenty of apps that reward you for doing things you probably already do. I’m sure you’ve seen ads for them. You’re not going to pay your rent from the rewards you earn, but you might get enough perks to make your otherwise pointless scrolling worth it.
Neat and tidy: Drag a window to the left or right edge to snap it in place on Windows. Shake a window to minimize all others you have open. On a Mac, hold the Option key, hover over the green expand button at the top of a window, and snap it to one side.
Two smart troubleshooting shortcuts:
✅ On Windows: Holding down the Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B forces a GPU reset without restarting your computer. This is useful if your screen freezes or you have graphics glitches.
✅ On a Mac: Pressing Cmd (⌘) + Option + Esc lets you force-quit any frozen application instantly. This shortcut bypasses needing to go through the Apple menu.
🔍 Where’s the remote? If it’s for a Roku, here’s a trick to find it. Just open the Roku app, tap the microphone, and say, “Hey, Roku, find my remote.” Follow the beeping to track it down. Once you find it, press any button to stop the sound.
🔊 Sound asleep: You don’t need an app or separate device for white noise. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual. Toggle on Background Sounds and choose a sound. Cozy! On Android, open the Clock app > Bedtime or Settings (name varies) > Set bedtime and wake-up time > Next. Scroll to Sleep Sounds and tap Choose another sound. When you’re ready to sleep, go back to Bedtime and hit Play. Good night!
20 questions, one prompt: You can play games with your favorite AI bot. Try this: “Let’s play a game of 20 questions. You think of a person, place or thing, and I’ll guess what it is. Keep track of the number of questions, and tell me how many I’ve got left after each one. Pick a category and let’s go.” Ready, set, guess!
🌡️ Thermostat myth: Turning it up won’t heat your home faster. Say you’re freezing and want to heat things to 70 degrees. Cranking it to 80 will make your HVAC unit run longer instead of working harder. It’s just an on/off switch. My husband keeps insisting we try 69, but I think we should keep the thermostat at 72 degrees this winter.
New font, who dis? Change your Kindle’s font to match your book’s vibe. Look for the toolbar (top of the screen) and hit the Aa icon. Select Font > Font Family and pick the style you want.
📸 Snap and convert: Apple’s HEIC photo format saves space but is a headache to open on a Windows PC. Switch your iPhone camera settings to JPG to fix it. Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and pick Most Compatible. Then, head back to Settings > Apps > Photos and choose Automatic (under Transfer to Mac or PC) so it’s always compatible.
Save $3 a month: Switch to Microsoft 365 Classic if you don’t want the new AI tools. On your account dashboard, select Subscriptions > Manage subscription > Cancel subscription. Scroll past the warning about losing your OneDrive storage to find the Classic plans. Click Switch plan > Confirm your new subscription > Buy.
Did you know you can do it online? Setting up term life insurance, that is. Fabric makes it fast and easy to do online. Answer a few questions and you’re on your way to checking this off your list.
🎮 Gamify your goals: Let an AI chatbot motivate you to make some extra cash. I have just the prompt: “Turn my side hustle goals into fun tasks. Ask me about my objectives, then break them down into tiny steps. Set a goal and a reward for finishing each one. Make a list of five tasks for this month.” You’ll feel like the winner.
Ask Rufus: Wondering where something you’re about to order on Amazon was made? On the product page, click Rufus on the top left in the Amazon toolbar. Ask it where your item was manufactured, and it might tell you; I find it knows about 50% of the time.
Feeling left behind? Download NetSuite’s free knowledge drop, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.” No matter what you do, you should know more about AI. It’s not going anywhere.
👉 Make your point: Give your mouse cursor a glow-up. On a PC, click Start > Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch. Switch things up, like the color, size and thickness. For Macs, head to the Apple menu > System Settings > Accessibility > Display (under Vision). Scroll to Pointer and make yours more “you.”
A new feature to try: Google can call businesses for you with questions about prices and availability. Go to Search Labs and hit Turn on. When you search for a store, you’ll see Ask for me under the map. Press Get Started, answer a few questions, and enter your email or phone number for updates. It’s in beta and works for nail salons and auto shops for now.
🚘 Check your car now: About one in five cars (58.1 million!) is driving around with an open recall. Check if yours is one of them on the NHTSA website. Enter your license plate or 17-digit VIN and hit Search. There are tabs for car seats, tires and other equipment recalls, too. Drive safely!
Love this: Last week, I wanted to go to a new restaurant that’s always packed. I used OpenTable to make a reservation, but the only openings were weeks from now. I booked one, and then I noticed a new button for Notify me, which adds you to the list in case someone cancels. Yup, we got in.