Custom Instructions — Set Your Preferences Once, Never Repeat Yourself Again
No more re-typing the same instructions again and again. Set custom instructions in AI.
Before we dive in
Five issues in — and I have to say, this week’s skill might be my favorite one yet. Not because it’s the flashiest. But because once you set it up, it quietly saves you time every single day without you having to think about it again.
Quick recap of where we’ve been:
Issue 1: Using ChatGPT to write client emails in seconds ✉️
Issue 2: XLOOKUP — matching data across spreadsheets ⚡
Issue 3: Using AI to summarize long documents in under a minute 📄
Issue 4: Using AI to analyze financial data and spot patterns 📊
Today we’re talking about something that supercharges all of the above.
Let’s get into it.
🛠 This Week’s Skill: Custom Instructions — Set Your Preferences Once, Never Repeat Yourself Again
Here’s something that used to drive me crazy.
Every time I opened a new AI chat, I’d have to re-explain myself.
My preferred tone. The context of my work. The specific tools and systems I use. Over and over, in every single conversation, from scratch.
It felt like showing up to work every morning and having to re-introduce yourself to your own colleagues.
There’s a fix — and it takes about five minutes to set up once.
It’s called custom instructions. And it’s one of the highest-leverage things you can do to make AI work better for you, every single day.
What are custom instructions?
Custom instructions are persistent preferences you set inside your AI tool — once — that automatically apply to every conversation going forward.
Think of it as briefing your AI assistant on who you are, how you work, and what you expect — so you never have to do it again.
You can tell it things like:
Always respond in a friendly but professional tone
When I refer to our ERP system, I mean Oracle R12 Business E-Suite
I work in accounting and finance — assume that context
Keep responses concise unless I ask for detail
Always use plain English, no jargon
Set it once. Every future conversation starts already knowing these things. No re-explaining. No wasted prompts. Just better, faster, more accurate responses right out of the gate.
How to set it up in Microsoft Copilot
If your organization uses Microsoft 365, Copilot is likely already part of your toolkit — and setting up custom instructions is straightforward. Go to Copilot Chat and sign in with your Microsoft 365 work or school account. At the top right, select the “...” menu, then choose “Personalization” from the left-side menu. Find the Custom Instructions tile and select “Edit instructions.” From there you can choose from suggested instructions or write your own in the compose box. Hit “Save instructions” and you’re done.
From that point forward, your custom instructions remain constant until you update them — so your tone, formatting preferences, and context are always applied automatically.
Here’s an example of what a strong set of custom instructions looks like for someone in accounting and finance:
“I work in accounting and finance. When I ask you to help with emails or client communication, always use a friendly but professional tone unless I specify otherwise. When I refer to our ERP system, I mean Oracle R12 Business E-Suite — assume that context whenever I mention system workflows or reporting. Keep responses concise and practical. Avoid jargon. I’m looking for clear, actionable help I can use immediately.”
That’s it. Paste something like that into your custom instructions and every Copilot conversation you have from now on starts with that context already loaded.
How to set it up in ChatGPT
If you use ChatGPT, the same feature exists under a slightly different name — also called Custom Instructions.
Here’s how to find it:
Click your profile icon in the bottom left corner
Select “Custom Instructions”
You’ll see two fields:
“What would you like ChatGPT to know about you?” — This is where you add your context (your role, your industry, the tools you use)
“How would you like ChatGPT to respond?” — This is where you set tone, format, and style preferences
Fill in both fields and hit Save
For the first field, something like:
“I work in accounting and finance. I use Oracle R12 Business E-Suite as my ERP system. I’m focused on practical, immediately applicable skills and tools.”
For the second field:
“Always respond in a friendly but professional tone. Keep answers concise and jargon-free. Lead with the most important information first.”
Done. Every ChatGPT conversation from now on starts already knowing this about you.
What to include in your custom instructions
Not sure what to add? Here’s a starter framework specifically for women in accounting and finance:
Your context:
Your role or the type of work you do (accounting, finance, audit, tax, etc.)
Industry-specific tools or systems you use (your ERP, your practice management software, etc.)
Any recurring terminology worth clarifying (acronyms, internal names, specific processes)
Your preferences:
Tone (professional, friendly, formal, conversational)
Length (concise vs. detailed)
Format (bullet points vs. prose, with or without headers)
Any pet peeves (no jargon, no overly formal language, always include an example, etc.)
The more specific you are, the better your results will be. Don’t be shy — this is your AI assistant. Brief it properly.
One important note
Custom instructions are powerful, but they’re not a set-it-and-forget-it forever situation. Review them every few months — especially if your role changes, you adopt new tools, or your preferences evolve.
Think of custom instructions as your rules for consistent standards, while Copilot’s Memory feature handles the more dynamic, evolving preferences it picks up from your conversations over time. Together they make your AI feel less like a generic tool and more like an assistant that actually knows you.
Your challenge this week
Open whichever AI tool you use most — Copilot or ChatGPT — and set up your custom instructions today. Use the framework above as a starting point.
It takes five minutes. And it will quietly save you time every single day from here on out.
Hit reply and tell me what you added to yours — I’m genuinely curious what context you’re giving your AI assistant. 💛
We’ll talk next week!
-Kelsey