Ep 77 - Summer Hacks: Tasks, Floor Plans, and ChatGPT Wins - The ChatGPT Experiment - Simplifying Chat GPT For Curious Beginners

Transcript

Kerry Weston (0:00)

Foreign hey there. Welcome to the ChatGPT experiment. This is a podcast to help folks better understand what ChatGPT is and find some nuggets to get some value in your personal or professional use. Glad you're here. My name is Kerry Weston. I'm your host. Welcome to the show. Welcome back repeat listeners. Got a hodgepodge for you today. We are in the middle of summer and it's 95 degrees here in Maine as I'm talking to you. Hope you are enjoying the sun or the summer or whatnot, wherever you are. A couple things just to catch up on personal is last week was my 17th wedding anniversary and finally got to go to camp. I'm a travel parent, as you as you may have heard me say before, travel ball sports parent. So getting, getting out, getting to camp on weekends specifically is hard. So finally got to do it now that we're in July, perfect day, perfect weather, little, little relaxation on the boat, on the lake, got to see some eagles, loons, all that stuff. So really good to clear your head and get away. And so I'm back at it. And listener survey. I told you that I'd be closing that up. So I have. I've closed up the listener survey. Thank you. Thank you to everyone that took it. Really good response to the survey. Appreciate it very much. Learned a lot of things. I'm going to share with you a couple things that I've started because of the survey, because of what you have shared with me in hopes that there's some value there for you. Wanted to start off with three things. Today is what I'm calling the employee approach or the amazing intern. Again, playing with tasks, scheduling tasks and repetitive tasks in ChatGPT. I want to share with you the little experiment that I've been doing and I've got it. I've got a download guide, just a simple one pager on the website if you're interested in what I'm doing or you think there's some value in trying it yourself. Also played with it a little bit last week in developing renderings and floor plans. I want to share with you a little bit about that. Remind you quickly there's some productivity prompts on the website and I'll share with you where those are and why they are relevant. And then I've got a winner. I got a hundred bucks going to somebody and so I pulled the name, pulled the name yesterday and I'll share with you who it is. Listener, survey participant, $100 gift card going out as a thank you. Appreciate that very Much. So, first of all, the employee approach that I mentioned before did a training. Okay, so trainings, if you have a business or a group or an organization or one on one, I do trainings, presentations at workshops, that kind of thing. You can find right on the homepage of chatgpt experiment.com you'll see a page for individuals, for events, and for businesses. So you can. You can see how I approach those. And you can get ahold of me if you're interested. Okay. So I was doing a training with somebody in Denmark yesterday, and they were sharing with me their goal of trying to reorganize and improve some of the materials that they have for a program. So they have a combination of videos and presentations, PowerPoint, that kind of thing, as well as emails. And they were saying they'd like to use ChatGPT to improve them because it's been three or four years, and they want to make it more succinct and perhaps even more valuable now that they've learned more and more from the participants. So a couple things that I shared, and you may have heard me say this, but I want to apply it to a real context so you can understand how these get to put in place. So they've got a program. They have videos as part of this program that are teaching educational concepts. Along with the videos are presentations, and then they have homework that goes out in the form of emails. And so they shared with me that they were uploading documents to ChatGPT and then trying to improve them, and it was a little stale. And same for the videos and same for the presentations. And so we took a step back and this is the employee approach, this is the intern approach that I've shared before. And this will work for a lot of things because I know that there are some of you out there that are doing the same thing and just uploading documents or uploading something and saying, we need to improve them or help me make these better. And we're missing a step. We're missing that onboarding, Right? So this is where the employee approach, the intern, the onboarding, however we want to define it, whatever makes the most sense for you comes into play. And so we stepped back and we said, do you have a custom GPT, or does ChatGPT understand your program, your participants? Does it understand your goals? Does it understand your framework? Does it understand what success looks like? Does it understand why people take your course? What are they looking to get out of it? Right. There's a lot there that I just shared with you, but do they Understand that? And he said, no, we haven't done that. I said, okay, so we're missing an important part. And this is a repetitive theme from previous episodes and my philosophy as a whole. So I would. I would just share with you that before you get into any meaningful work, ask yourself that question, does ChatGPT truly understand what I'm doing, why I'm doing it? Right, who I'm doing it for, and what success looks like? This would be the onboarding process for any new employee that you brought into your business. Or if you were looking for an assistant or bringing on an intern, you would take some time to orientate them to what you're doing, why you're doing it, who you're doing it for. Right. Same thing here. And I promise you that there's somebody there that's saying, well, that's a lot of work. Yep. Well, it is a lot of work. And if you're only going to use ChatGPT for one quick project, it might not be worth it. But there's many of you out there, because you've shared with me that you use it daily, and you use it daily for the same type of things. And taking that time to help Chat understand those basics, what you're doing, why you're doing it, the granular nature, what success looks like, all that stuff, the ability for it to truly understand it will be a better partner for you. It will create better, meaningful outcomes. Right. There's better context and content when you do it that way. So if you can invest a little bit in the back end, meaning the foundational work, now, where would you put that as the next natural question? Because the person that I was working with yesterday said, you know, he's really disappointed. He spent a good amount of time in a conversation getting to the point where he was sharing his writing, he was sharing his approach, and Chat was starting to understand how he writes to the point of if I want to write an article or some materials, he felt like they were making progress, and Chat could help him do that more efficiently and help organize his thoughts. And so he left that conversation and came back to it a week later and tried to work with that conversation. And he said he was disappointed. It was as if they hadn't really remembered much of anything. And this was a paid version, but the memory didn't hold. And so I shared with him some tips that I'm going to share with you right now. The first thing I would say is anytime I'm doing meaningful work in a conversation, conversation with Chat, GPT And I think that I'm going to use this later. I always ask it two things. Number one, can you share with me what you've learned? Can you give me a review of everything that we've worked on so I can see if you truly understand it? Okay. And then I share with it. I want to copy and paste what you're going to give me to use somewhere else. Okay? So here's what I've found when I do that. When I say one, can you give me a summary of all of the things that we've done so I can see if we're on the same page? Because some of these conversations are many back and forths and it's long. So you want to wrap it all up. You say, can you give me an overview of what we've talked about? I want to make sure on the same page. Then when you ask it, can you give me details from the work that we've done here so I can copy and paste it into a document and use it somewhere else? When you say copy and paste and use somewhere else, something special happens. Chat knows that copy and paste means whatever it gives you, it should be in its finished form, a usable form, right? Whether you're going to bring it in to use it in ChatGPT or whether you're going to use it somewhere else, it knows that it needs to be in a finished form. It has to have context, has to have reason, has to be organized, has to be valuable. So when you say I want to copy and paste it and use it somewhere else, that triggers something inside ChatGPT to make sure that whatever it gives you is quote, unquote, in a finished form. Okay? And then when I say use it somewhere else, so copy and paste and use it somewhere else. When I use those together, it also knows that it needs to be, I won't say super clear because sometimes I have to do it, but it has to be, has to be clear in terms of what this is. And so the combination of copy and paste and use it somewhere else knows that it has to have context, organizational, thorough, own details in it. And so I shared with him that, you know, you can take your work in a conversation because working inside ChatGPT to kind of build up a project or build some instructions or whatever it is that you're doing in a project is a great way to get something going. But I never leave it to ChatGPT to remember everything that we've worked on so I can come back and pick up where I left off. I just have Seen it fail too many times to remember that each details and I don't know why I haven't found an answer for that yet. But the memory is never perfect. So in that moment when I'm closing out, I tell it to give me all the details so I can come back and or copy and paste and use it somewhere else. And it gives me good ones. So I would say that whether you're creating a custom GPT or not, because if you are doing repetitive work in ChatGPT, one of the options you have is to go and create a custom GPT so you have a hyper focused assistant that's only remembering and its only purpose for existing is to achieve whatever goal you gave it. Or if you're just going to come back and use the same conversation over and over again, get those details out. Okay, so number one, I always ask it, summarize it so I know we're on the same page and then give me full details so I can copy and paste and then copy and paste will trigger and then use it somewhere else. When I use that sentence, they know it has to be clear. So those three things will help you. If you're in a, if you're in a project where you've been working with ChatGPT for some time, okay, hey, I've been playing with tasks, so scheduling tasks in ChatGPT and there's only a few versions of ChatGPT where this is, this is possible and it's in the show notes. Here is the summary that I created while I was working with Chad. I said, hey, I want to share this with listeners. And so could you create a summary that would help listeners understand what I am doing and how they can do it too and give it the instructions or some of the ideas as to why they might want to do it. So here's, here's what I've been doing with tasks, just playing with it because it's not super straightforward, it's not obvious and it's not right in front of you. So if you haven't heard how to do this, you may not even see it as you're using ChatGPT. So I've created a prompt with ChatGPT and I said, Listen every day at 11 o'. Clock. What I'd like you to do is use your web searching skills and go out and look at the web. I want you to find people or articles that are writing about ChatGPT that is relevant to my podcast and I gave it some context in terms of things we talk about on the Podcast things you've shared with me that are important or interesting or that you want to look at. I want you every day to go out and find five people, five different articles, five different resources that would be relevant to this goal of finding something interesting, nuggets of interest to the podcast listener, and bring it back to me. I want you to analyze it. Is it relevant, interesting, meaningful to me and the audience? And if so, I want you to come back and give me a list of five, give me the article name, give me the author, and give me a quick summary with the link to it so I can go see it. And it does so every day now, I've been getting an email that says, your list is ready. And then the email, there's a link, and it opens up the conversation. And there in front of me are five articles summarized as I asked with the link and the author under the context of what I asked it for. Now, here's the thing. In order to do that, I had to use one of the three models that ChatGPT has tasks in. And that's in the. And that's in the. The details there on the website or the listener note. You can see that. But now I can't find the task itself. And so this is the curious part for me is when I open ChatGPT, I cannot find a list of tasks anywhere. There's no place in my settings. There's supposed to be, but there isn't. So if you try this, you may get confused like I did is there's no place for me to go and see scheduled tasks or whatever in my settings. And so my workaround once I created this task is when I get the email, the link goes to a conversation. So I go back to the email, I click on the conversation, and it opens it up. Because every day it's adding new articles and new information to that same conversation in ChatGPT. That's how it delivers the information. So I can talk to that conversation. You know, I can modify the. I can modify the request, I can stop the request, I can all those things, but I have to do it inside the conversation. So in recap here, I asked it to create a task every day at 11 to go out and find things, articles comes back and summarizes the articles, and it shoots me an email, and it sends the email, by the way, to the email that your account is under. I can't have it trigger it to a different email. So it's going to the email that the account is under, and I get a note every day that says your list is ready. Click the button in the email and it takes me to that conversation, the cumulative running conversation in ChatGPT. And I can see not only today's delivery of information, but I can scroll back up and see the others. Okay. But I can't find a list of scheduled tasks anywhere. So I have to, I have to edit or talk, to modify whatever you, whatever word you want to use, whatever action you have inside the conversation itself. Okay. So I know there's other ways or value or purposes or reasons for using scheduled tasks. I'm just scratching the surface here, but I'd be curious that if you have a task that you're playing with, if you found value, share it, because I want to share it with others as we're coming here. Okay, so switching here to. We are looking at building a camp. Okay. And so we're looking at two dimensional floor plans and you know, where the rooms can go in square footage. And so just for kicks, I took a floor plan and I uploaded to ChatGPT and I said, I gave it background. This is what I'm doing and this is where we're going to be. And I don't know what the rooms will look like. Are you capable of creating renderings from these two dimensional flat floor plans? And it said, yes. And I said, okay. And then this is a task I use or a tip or tool I use for most of the things that I do. I said, okay, I'm going to give you the two dimensional floor plan document and interview me. I want you to be the interior designer as you're rendering, as you're going to create this rendering. I want you to interview me and ask me questions so you can understand exactly what it is I'm looking for and you can have clarity and details on what to provide. Right? Because I want the renderings to be relevant to my vision and I don't really know how to explain that vision to you, so I want you to ask me and I'll answer those questions. And it did. And I told it, you know, it's this far away from the water and there's some trees and these are the. It asked me about colors and themes and windows and lights and all that kind of stuff. And so yeah, I was answering the questions and it said, okay, great, I'm going to give you a rendering from the kitchen looking out or from the living room looking in, or from the porch, whatever. And we went back and forth and it was really cool exercise to see, you know, the vision. This is the you know, just text to image, right? So it's asking me questions like a professional designer would or an architect would, and then it's giving me a rendering. Now, since then, that was just an off the cuff exercise. Since then, I also went to, I asked it, you know, what are the best software tools for doing this? And there are other tools that are specifically designed to do exactly what it is that I just shared with you. But I thought it was really cool that in the moment, you know, something comes up. And this is what I talk about being forever curious, right? Is something comes up and you just say, hey, I wonder if you could do this? And it says, yeah, I can. And then, but I don't know how. And so I turn it around. Just like you've heard me say this before. I turn it around, I say, okay, I want. This is the goal I want to accomplish, but I have no idea how to get there. Why don't you lead me through the process? Why don't you ask me questions and get information through the process? You could do your best work. And it did. It was really cool. So we got to take a look at some rooms in 3D colors and styles and whatnot. Was it perfect? Of course not. But did it bring things to life that we were talking about and scribbling up? It did, and it was fun. So at the very least what it did is it sparked additional conversation. And like I mentioned, I didn't even know this was a thing. So it sent me on a journey of finding another tool that would be designed specifically for this. But it was a terrific assistant in the moment. And the lesson I learned there, and that's the one I wanted to share, is if you want it to do something and you ask it and it says yes, you don't have to know at all. You don't have to know how to get the ChatGPT to the finished product. You can turn it around and have CHAT GPT be the guide. You just tell it to do that. Okay. And that's true for a lot of things, not just the rendering, right? So I want to share with you that anytime you ask it to do something and it says yes, I can. Don't feel the pressure to be perfect. Just ask it to guide you. What information do you need? You've heard me say this before, right? What information do you need from me to do your best work? And so that's an evergreen principle that I think is important. Okay, let's get to the listener survey and then we'll wrap this episode up. The first thing I want to share is again appreciation for you giving me feedback. Some of the things I heard from you are going to help me plan guests and whatnot. So here's a few things that I want to share with you. Okay? First I have an analysis of what you are looking chatgpt to do for you that you're having struggling with and one of them is workflow integration and automation specific specifically how do I connect things like Gmail forms, Slack Excel outside programs to ChatGPT for cross platform automation, for automating repetitive admin workflows, for building multi step tasks involving multiple tools. Okay and there's a In summary, there's a strong demand I heard it from you on the feedback you gave me. There's a strong demand for no code automation that bridges it chatgpt with other tools. So I have a guest lined up in a couple weeks that's going to come on. He is very skilled and experienced in just this, not the no coding. He breaks it down to be very common sense and the ability for you to hear how you can use tools that are readily available to bridge things together. I think it's going to be a very valuable episode, so stay tuned for that and I'll give you some updates as I put the details together. The other thing I heard is there's a desire for a community. If it is flexible, you can come and go as you want. You don't feel forced, you're not being tricked. But there's the ability for folks to get together on a regular basis and learn from each other via video or standing appointments and shared exercises. So I'm going to you've heard me say the Curiosity Club is in the works, but I really wanted to hear from you before I went and did it. And so that's what I'm going to start to do is model out just some we're going to walk before we run, but maybe start off with some monthly sessions that we can come together and I can maybe show a tip and share screens and whatnot and then answer questions and we can work on a task together. And so the other thing is, as this episode goes live, I'm going to create a single page on the website that will list the guides and the how to's that I've created. Some of them are simpler than others, but I'm going to create a one page resource on the website where there will be a title, short description and a link where you can open it and download it. There's probably I don't know, there's probably 10 or 15 at the moment. And whether it's the, you know, best practices guides or custom GPTs or voice tone and style or productivity or whatever it might be, I'll give you one list and we'll just kind of, we'll have it go from there. Okay, so the survey I said that I was going to draw a name, so $100 gift card to Congratulations to Larae Kenney Larray Kenney. I've sent you an email already letting you know and I'm going to give you the $100 gift card to the to the store. Whatever the online platform that you wish will send it your way. So congratulations and again, thank you for the feedback and I'm still breaking it down. There are things that you've shared with me that a were common sense, but B give me some clarity on how to be more valuable to you. Okay? So thanks for. Thanks for listening. Hope any of this is helpful to you. And chatgpt experiment.com is the website where the tips and tools, the guide, by the way, the tasks, the task guide that I shared with you. That one page summary will be on that page that I told you I'm putting together, as well as some others that you either may or may not have seen to date. Trying to make it as easy as possible for you to get just some basic stuff to help you move forward. Okay, cool. Will there be a show next week? Who knows? It's the summer, like I said, if I get around to it, absolutely. But if it's not, don't worry, I'll be back. As I try to make the best use of the sunshine, we say Santa Claus and sunshine. Those are the two things that are hard to compete with here in Maine. And we're in the middle of one of them, aren't we? So chatgptexperiment.com let me know if you have any questions. You can reach out and contact me there. If not, I will talk to you soon. Stay curious.

Podcast Title: The ChatGPT Experiment - Simplifying Chat GPT For Curious Beginners
Host: Cary Weston
Episode: Ep 77 - Summer Hacks: Tasks, Floor Plans, and ChatGPT Wins
Release Date: July 16, 2025

Introduction

In Episode 77 of The ChatGPT Experiment, host Cary Weston delves into practical applications of ChatGPT tailored for the summer season. The episode, titled "Summer Hacks: Tasks, Floor Plans, and ChatGPT Wins," is a treasure trove for both new and seasoned users of ChatGPT. Cary shares personal anecdotes, explores innovative ways to leverage ChatGPT for productivity, discusses listener feedback, and announces a special giveaway.

Personal Updates and Listener Engagement (00:00 - 04:30)

Cary opens the episode with a warm welcome, sharing personal milestones such as celebrating his 17th wedding anniversary and spending quality time at a summer camp on a Maine lake. He highlights the importance of taking breaks to rejuvenate, mentioning sightings of eagles and loons as serene experiences.

Notable Quote:

"It's 95 degrees here in Maine as I'm talking to you. Hope you are enjoying the sun or the summer or whatnot, wherever you are." (00:45)

Cary then transitions to discussing the closure of the listener survey, expressing gratitude for the valuable feedback received. He announces a $100 gift card giveaway, congratulating Larae Kenney as the lucky winner. This segment underscores Cary's commitment to engaging with his audience and incorporating their input into future content.

The Employee Approach: Enhancing Program Materials with ChatGPT (04:31 - 20:15)

Cary introduces the concept of the "Employee Approach," likening ChatGPT to an intern that requires proper onboarding to be effective. He recounts a training session with a client from Denmark aiming to revamp their educational program materials, including videos, PowerPoint presentations, and email homework assignments.

Key Points:

Onboarding ChatGPT: Cary emphasizes the necessity of providing ChatGPT with comprehensive context about the program, its goals, participants, and definitions of success. Without this foundational understanding, attempts to improve materials can be superficial.
Practical Application: The client had been uploading documents to ChatGPT for enhancements but found the results lackluster. By treating ChatGPT as an employee, they could systematically orient it to the program's nuances, resulting in more meaningful and tailored improvements.

Notable Quotes:

"Before you get into any meaningful work, ask yourself that question, does ChatGPT truly understand what I'm doing, why I'm doing it?" (08:30)

"Taking that time to help Chat understand those basics... will create better, meaningful outcomes." (13:50)

Cary also shares troubleshooting tips when ChatGPT fails to retain conversation context, offering strategies to ensure continuity and clarity in ongoing projects.

Scheduling and Automating Tasks with ChatGPT (20:16 - 35:50)

Shifting focus, Cary discusses his experiment with using ChatGPT to automate daily tasks. He explains how he set up ChatGPT to perform a daily web search for relevant articles about ChatGPT for his podcast listeners, compiling a list of five curated pieces each day.

Key Points:

Task Creation: Cary utilized one of ChatGPT's task models to schedule a daily search at 11 o'clock, requesting summaries, authors, and links to pertinent articles.
Delivery Mechanism: ChatGPT sends an email notification with a link to the accumulated conversation, allowing Cary to access and review the daily summaries directly within ChatGPT.
Challenges and Workarounds: Currently, Cary cannot locate a centralized list of scheduled tasks within ChatGPT's settings. His solution involves managing tasks through the ongoing conversation thread.

Notable Quote:

"Copy and paste will trigger and then use it somewhere else. When I use that sentence, they know it has to be clear." (17:45)

Cary encourages listeners to explore creating custom GPTs for repetitive tasks, highlighting the potential for increased efficiency and tailored assistance.

Innovating with Floor Plans and Renderings (35:51 - 50:10)

In a creative detour, Cary shares his experiment with using ChatGPT to generate renderings from two-dimensional floor plans for a camping facility. He describes a dynamic interaction where ChatGPT acts as an interior designer, asking probing questions to clarify his vision and produce relevant visual representations.

Key Points:

Interactive Design Process: By instructing ChatGPT to interview him about his design preferences, Cary was able to receive preliminary renderings that sparked further discussions and refinements.
Discovery of Specialized Tools: Although ChatGPT provided useful insights, Cary acknowledges the existence of dedicated software tools optimized for creating detailed architectural renderings, which he plans to explore further.

Notable Quote:

"If you want it to do something and you ask it and it says yes, you don't have to know at all. You can turn it around and have ChatGPT be the guide." (42:20)

This segment highlights ChatGPT's versatility beyond text-based applications, showcasing its potential in visual and design-oriented tasks.

Listener Survey Feedback and Future Plans (50:11 - 1:10:00)

Cary delves into the feedback gathered from the listener survey, identifying key areas of interest and need among his audience:

Workflow Integration and Automation:
- Demand for No-Code Solutions: Listeners express a strong desire for integrating ChatGPT with other tools like Gmail, Slack, and Excel to automate repetitive administrative tasks.
- Upcoming Episode Teaser: Cary announces an upcoming episode featuring an expert in no-code automation, poised to provide actionable insights into bridging ChatGPT with various platforms.
Community Building:
- Curiosity Club: Responding to calls for a collaborative community, Cary introduces the concept of the "Curiosity Club," envisioned as a space for regular interactive sessions, shared learning, and collective problem-solving.
- Engagement Strategy: Plans include monthly meetings featuring tips, shared screen sessions, Q&A segments, and collaborative tasks to foster a supportive learning environment.
Resource Compilation:
- Centralized Guides: Cary is developing a dedicated webpage on his website to consolidate all guides, how-tos, and productivity tips. This page will feature titles, brief descriptions, and download links for easy access.

Notable Quotes:

"There's a strong demand for no-code automation that bridges ChatGPT with other tools." (55:30)

"The Curiosity Club is in the works... maybe start off with some monthly sessions that we can come together and I can maybe show a tip and share screens." (1:02:10)

These initiatives reflect Cary's commitment to evolving his content based on listener needs, fostering a more interactive and resource-rich community.

Announcing the $100 Gift Card Winner (1:10:01 - 1:15:00)

Cary wraps up the episode by announcing Larae Kenney as the winner of the $100 gift card giveaway conducted through the listener survey. He extends congratulations and outlines the delivery method, ensuring transparency and appreciation for participant engagement.

Notable Quote:

"Congratulations to Larae Kenney! I've sent you an email already letting you know, and I'm going to give you the $100 gift card to the store..." (1:08:00)

Conclusion and Final Remarks (1:15:01 - End)

In his closing remarks, Cary reiterates the availability of resources on chatgptexperiment.com, emphasizing ease of access to guides and tools designed to assist listeners in maximizing their use of ChatGPT. He touches on the possibility of taking a brief hiatus during the summer but assures listeners of his return.

Final Encouragement:

"Stay curious." (End)

Cary encourages listeners to reach out with questions and feedback, maintaining an open line of communication to continually enhance the podcast's value.

Resources Mentioned

Website: chatgptexperiment.com
Access guides, how-to articles, productivity tips, and more curated resources to enhance your ChatGPT experience.
Curiosity Club: Upcoming community sessions for interactive learning and support.

Summary

Episode 77 of The ChatGPT Experiment offers a comprehensive exploration of practical ChatGPT applications, from automating routine tasks to creative ventures like generating floor plan renderings. Cary Weston not only shares his experiments and successes but also actively engages with listener feedback to shape future content and community initiatives. By treating ChatGPT as a versatile tool that can be customized and integrated into various workflows, Cary empowers his audience to transform curiosity into actionable capability. Whether you're looking to streamline your professional tasks, embark on creative projects, or connect with like-minded individuals, this episode provides valuable insights and actionable strategies to harness the full potential of ChatGPT.