The 10-minute setup that saves hours of AI frustration

Have you ever felt like you're in an endless loop with AI tools?

"Hi ChatGPT, I'm Amantha, I am an organisational psychologist, I prefer a conversational tone, I don't like corporate jargon..."

And then you start a new chat: "Hi ChatGPT, I'm Amantha..."

It's exhausting, right? Like having a colleague with short-term memory loss who needs the same introduction every morning.

Today, we are going to solve this problem.

Groundhog Day with AI

AI can easily give you a decent result. But a truly great result (one that sounds like you, reflects your expertise, and aligns with your goals) requires context the AI simply doesn't have without you providing it.

Currently, most of us are:

• Retyping the same context in every new chat

• Getting inconsistent results across conversations

• Wasting time repeating preferences ("I've told you three times I don't use emojis!")

• Starting from scratch even on similar tasks

Even AI tools with memory features are unreliable or limited in how much they remember. But there is a better way!

Enter the Briefing Document

A briefing document is essentially a cheat sheet for your AI assistant: a single file that provides all the context it needs to work with you effectively.

Think of it as onboarding a new team member. Rather than explaining your preferences, background, and goals each time you start a project, you hand them a comprehensive guide they can reference.

What goes into your AI Briefing Doc?

The beauty of a briefing document is its flexibility, but here are some things you might want to include:

1. Professional Context

• Your role and responsibilities

• Your team structure

• Key performance metrics

• Industry-specific terminology

2. Communication Preferences

• Your writing voice for different audiences (clients, team, public)

• Phrases you love (and those you loathe, such as "I hope this finds you well")

• Formatting preferences (bullet points vs. paragraphs, emoji use, etc.)

3. Working Style

• How you like to receive information (concise vs. detailed)

• The way you want the AI to challenge your thinking

• Whether you prefer options or direct recommendations

4. Project-Specific Information

• Client details

• Project goals and timelines

• Relevant background information

The magic happens when all this information is available to the AI from the start, without you typing it each time.

One doc or many?

Start with one master briefing document. Make it under 10 pages, as you don't want to use the entire context window!

As you get more sophisticated, you might create separate briefings for:

• Specific projects

• Different roles you play

• Various teams you manage

• Particular functions (communications, strategy, etc.)

The right approach depends on how varied your work is and how specialised your needs become.

How this changes your AI workflow

Using a briefing document has transformed how I interact with AI. This is the process I recommend using:

1. Start a new chat

2. Upload the briefing document

3. Say something like "Refer to the attached briefing document and draft an email to my team about our upcoming workshop"

4. Watch as the AI produces a draft that already sounds like you, incorporates your preferences, and reflects your context

The result? A first draft that's much closer to your final version, saving you countless back-and-forth edits.

But how is this better than building a custom GPT?

While custom GPTs and other personalisation features exist, briefing documents offer distinct advantages:

• They work with free versions of AI tools

• They're portable across platforms

• You maintain control of your information

• They're easier to update as your needs change

Think of briefing documents as the foundation for any AI personalisation strategy, whether you stick with manual uploads or eventually build custom tools.

Your next step

Try creating a simple briefing document this week. Start with just your communication preferences and professional context. Upload it next time you're working with AI and notice the difference in quality and consistency.

No more repeating yourself. No more generic outputs. Just an AI assistant that seems to finally understand who you are and what you need.

Happy briefing :)