ChatGPT for beginners — turn options into your own plan

Get a real plan from your first try

This guide is for you if you have a list of venues covered by your employer's sports and culture benefit but do not know which are open this weekend. You give the list to ChatGPT, which combines it with current information and sources. You then ask ChatGPT to turn the answer into one main option and one backup that suit your situation. You will immediately see what ChatGPT does well: it gathers information and helps turn it into a next step.

Try it for the first time

1. 1

   Open a new conversation

   Open ChatGPT at chatgpt.com. You can use search while signed in or without signing in, if it is available in your view.

2. 2

   Start Search

   Open the tools in the message field and select Search, or type / at the start of your message and select Search. Search is useful when you want current information and links to original sources.

3. 3

   Attach your list and copy the request

   First attach an image or file containing your own, a public or a fictional list of sports and culture benefit venues. Then copy the request below into the same message. ChatGPT combines the contents of your list with a current search and includes sources.

4. 4

   Open one source

   Choose one source in the answer and check that it really says the same thing. A source is part of a useful answer, rather than decoration at the end.

5. 5

   Ask for your own version

   Continue in the same conversation: explain which options interest you and what limits your choice. ChatGPT can turn the list into a plan without you starting over.

Attach an image or file listing the Helsinki venues covered by your employer's or another organisation's sports and culture benefit. Then search the web to find which of these venues are open on the first Saturday after today and what they would normally cost without the benefit. Start your answer by stating the date you used. For current information, prioritise each venue's own website and include a direct source link for each venue. If a venue is not on your list or its information is missing, say so clearly and do not guess.

Turn the previous list into a plan for me. I want a quiet day, with no more than 30 minutes of travel at a time, and I want to spend at most 20 euros. Suggest one main option and one backup. Briefly explain why you chose them.

The same approach works with your own material

The first search already combined your own file with a current search. The same approach also works when you want to review only your own material without searching, for example to compare a price list using the same criteria. Always state your goal and request an answer in a format that is easy to use for your next decision.

Attach a public price list for an event or hobby course. Extract all options that cost no more than 50 euros and are suitable for beginners. Make a table with the name, price, duration and registration method. Mark missing information as missing rather than inferring it.

Improve the answer with one follow-up

The first answer is a draft, rather than the finished result. A follow-up works best when you explain what missed the mark and what you want instead. You can request a new structure, narrow down the options or describe your own situation.

Find me things to do in Helsinki this weekend. Present the answer as a short table with columns for venue, time and price. Leave out long explanations: I just want a table I can scan quickly.

Check before you act

1. If ChatGPT suggested several venues, open sources for more than one of them. Checking one source does not tell you whether the other venues' information is current too.
2. Pay particular attention to dates, prices, opening hours, names and numbers.
3. If the answer seems odd, ask ChatGPT to search again using a specific source or date.
4. Keep the final decision in your own hands: use ChatGPT for ideas, comparisons and drafts.

Once you know the basics

When you return to the same topic, create a ChatGPT project for it. Projects work on both free and paid accounts, but you must sign in to use them. If you have been trying ChatGPT without signing in, sign in first. A project can bring together conversations, files and your own instructions that apply to every conversation in that project.

When you create a new project, add this as its instructions: In this project, I regularly look for current weekend ideas and venues covered by my sports and culture benefit in Helsinki. Always use Search for current information, prioritise each venue's own website and add a source link for every claim. If you cannot find current information, say so directly and do not guess. Keep your answers concise and use plain English.