ChatGPT cheat sheet

A one-page reference for using ChatGPT well at work. UK English. Check anything that matters against a trusted source.

Key capabilities by level

Foundations

• Draft, rewrite and reshape everyday writing: emails, notes, summaries.
• Explain confusing text or jargon in plain English.
• Brainstorm options when a blank page has you stuck.

Practitioner

• Attach files (PDFs, Word, spreadsheets, images) and ask questions of them.
• Turn on web search for recent facts, and open the links to verify.
• Save a reusable brief with custom instructions so replies match your style.

Power User

• Build a Custom GPT for a repeated task and share it with your team.
• Use Projects to keep related chats and reference files together.
• Chain steps: analyse data, draft from the findings, then refine the draft.

Tier map in three lines

• Individuals: Free, Go, and Plus give growing usage, model access and features.
• Heavy or high-stakes use: Pro adds the highest limits and most capable models.
• Organisations: Business and Enterprise add shared workspaces, admin controls and data protections.

See the current ChatGPT pricing for what each plan includes today.

Five best prompts

1. Rewrite the message below to be warmer and about half the length, keeping every fact unchanged. [paste your draft]
2. I've attached the Fernway meeting notes. Pull out every action agreed, who owns it, and any deadline, as a table.
3. Summarise this document in ten bullet points, then list three questions I should ask before I act on it. [paste or attach]
4. Act as a cautious reviewer. Read my email to a client and flag anything unclear, risky, or easy to misread. [paste your draft]
5. Explain this topic as if I've never met it, then give me one real workplace example. [topic]

Top three mistakes

• Treating it as a search engine. It predicts likely text, not verified fact; fluent does not mean correct.
• Over-trusting confident answers. It can state wrong facts and invent sources that look real. Check anything you will act on.
• Giving it too little to work with. "Write an email" is vague. State the situation, the reader and the tone you want.