10 useful things ChatGPT can do for professionals every day
Most lists of ‘things ChatGPT can do’ are written to impress, not to be useful. Poetry generators. Recipe suggestions. Trivia quizzes.
These are the ten things I actually use it for. Every week. Sometimes every day.
Summarising long email threads
Paste in a long thread. Ask: "Summarise this and list any decisions made and actions I need to take." Thirty seconds. Done.
Writing first drafts
Any document with a predictable structure — reports, proposals, update emails, meeting agendas. Give it a brief. Get a starting point. Edit from there. Always faster than starting from scratch.
Preparing for difficult conversations
"I need to have a conversation with my manager about X. Help me think through what to say, what their likely objections are, and how to handle them." Invaluable.
Stress-testing your arguments
"Here's my proposal. Act as the most sceptical person in the room and tell me the three weakest parts." Find the holes before your audience does.
Researching unfamiliar topics
"Explain the current state of [topic] in plain English. Assume I'm intelligent but not an expert." Better than most articles.
Improving writing you've already done
"Here's something I've written. Don't rewrite it. Just tell me the three weakest sentences and suggest a tighter version of each." Keeps your voice. Makes it sharper.
Generating options you haven't thought of
"I'm trying to solve [problem]. Give me five approaches I might not have considered." Useful when you're stuck in one way of thinking.
Translating jargon
"Explain what [technical term] means in plain English. Then explain why it matters for someone in my role." Works for legal, financial, technical — any field with its own language.
Preparing for job interviews
"I'm interviewing for [role]. Ask me the ten most likely questions and give me feedback on my answers." Practice before you're in the room.
Thinking through decisions
"I'm trying to decide between X and Y. Here are the factors: [list them]. Help me think this through clearly." Not to make the decision for you — to help you think more rigorously.
The pattern: ChatGPT is most useful when you give it context, a clear task, and a specific output format. Vague in, vague out.
— Anna
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