Set context once: custom instructions, projects and memory

0:38 Why store context?

Why does this matter? Because repetition is where quality quietly slips. On a busy day you forget to mention the budget, or the brand's tone, or the rule about never promising delivery dates, and the answer drifts. Stored context works like a well-briefed assistant who already knows the house rules. You do not re-explain the rules every morning; you just give today's task. The result is shorter prompts, fewer mistakes, and answers that stay consistent across days and across team members.

1:13 Three places for context

There are three places to store context. Custom instructions are a short standing note that applies to all your chats, usually in two parts: what the assistant should know about you, and how you want it to respond. Projects, or similar workspaces, are for one recurring job, like one client or one product line. They hold their own instructions and reference files. ChatGPT and Claude call these projects, Gemini offers Gems, and other assistants have their own versions; names and features vary by plan. And memory, where the assistant remembers useful facts from past chats, which you can usually view, edit or switch off.

1:58 Writing custom instructions

Good custom instructions are short, factual and stable. For example: I run a four-person digital marketing agency in Manchester, clients are local restaurants, gyms and salons, I write in British English. Then how to respond: lead with the answer, use prices in pounds and UK examples, say when you are unsure of a fact, and flag claims I should verify before publishing. Each line changes the answer in a way you want. Avoid vague lines like be amazing, and keep things that change weekly out; those belong in the prompt.

2:37 A project that works

A good project has three parts. A clear purpose, such as weekly social posts for a family café in Abu Dhabi. Standing instructions in a simple structure: purpose, always, and never. Always use the brand voice guide and the current menu prices; keep captions under eighty words. Never invent offers or opening hours; if it is not in the files, ask me. And a few reference files, only the ones the AI truly needs.

3:09 Choosing files

Files deserve special care, because more is not better. The assistant has to decide what is relevant, and outdated files cause confident mistakes. Keep files current, and delete last season's menu when the new one arrives. Keep them focused; the brand guide and the menu, not every document you own. And name them clearly; menu September twenty twenty-six beats final version three. Omar, who runs a small agency in Riyadh, set up one project per client with its own brand guide and products. The tone mix-ups stopped, and new team members now use the projects as onboarding material.

3:52 Memory: helpful but review it

Memory is helpful and a little risky. An assistant might remember that you once asked for a formal tone and quietly apply it everywhere. So review your memories every few months, delete anything wrong or outdated, and switch memory off for sensitive topics. Never rely on memory for critical facts. Put those in the prompt or project files, where you can see them.

4:19 Privacy first

Everything you store is held by the provider, so think before uploading. Check your organisation's AI policy and which plan it approves; business and enterprise plans typically offer stronger data controls. Remove personal data you do not need, like customer phone numbers and addresses. And check whether your plan uses your content to improve models, and how to opt out if that is appropriate. These habits keep you compliant with data protection laws in the UK, the Gulf and beyond.

4:54 No projects feature? Use a saved note

A common question is, what if my assistant does not have projects? You can get most of the benefit with a saved context note. Keep a short document with your standing instructions, purpose, always and never, and paste it at the start of each new chat for that job, followed by the day's task. It is a little more manual, but it gives the same consistency. And if you work in a team, share the note, so everyone briefs the assistant the same way and gets results in the same voice.

5:34 Example 1: weekly meal plans

A simple example first. Every week, you ask your assistant to help plan family meals. Every week, you repeat the same facts: four people, one child who will not eat spicy food, a halal kitchen, and a budget. Put those facts into custom instructions, or a small meal-planning project, once. Now your weekly prompt can be just: plan this week, we have chicken, lentils and spinach. The answers stay consistent, and you stop forgetting to mention the spicy food rule. Stored context is simply the facts you would otherwise repeat forever.

6:14 Example 2: an agency with 5 clients (illustrative)

Now a business scenario, with illustrative numbers. Kamran runs a four-person agency in Lahore with five retainer clients, each producing about twenty social posts a month. Before projects, writers pasted each brand's details into every chat, and mixed up tones about once a week. He creates one project per client, each with purpose, always and never instructions, the brand voice guide and the current offers sheet. Writers now start every task inside the right project. Over a month, that is around one hundred posts where nobody retypes the brief, and the tone mix-ups largely stop. Every quarter, Kamran deletes outdated offer files and reviews memory. These figures are illustrative, but the structure scales to any small team.

7:05 Recap

To recap. Custom instructions hold stable facts about you and how to respond. Projects hold instructions and a few current files for one recurring job. Memory saves time but needs regular review. And privacy rules still apply to everything you store. Try this now: pick one recurring task, create a project or saved context with purpose, always and never instructions, upload one current file, and test it on three real tasks. Add a line for anything it gets wrong. Next lesson: prompting with files, photos and your voice.