10 Useful Things to Ask ChatGPT (That Nobody Does)
Most people use ChatGPT to ask simple questions or generate text. But it’s capable of a lot more than that. Here are ten super practical uses that almost nobody knows about.
1. Review a Contract or Lease
Paste your apartment lease and ask: “Are there any unusual or problematic clauses in this?” The AI will highlight passages to look more closely at. It’s not legal advice, but it’s an excellent first filter before you talk to a lawyer.
2. Summarize a Long Document You Don’t Have Time to Read
Paste a 20-page contract or report and ask: “Summarize this in bullet points, highlighting anything risky or unusual.” You get the essence in 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes of reading.
3. Generate Ideas Before a Meeting
Tell the AI the context of an upcoming meeting—a budget discussion, a product launch, a negotiation—and ask it to brainstorm talking points or possible objections. You walk in more prepared.
4. Explain Complex Stuff in Simple Terms
Ask ChatGPT to explain blockchain, quantum computing, or tax law in a way a 12-year-old would understand. If you can’t understand the simple explanation, you don’t really understand the concept.
5. Find Errors in Your Writing
Paste your email, proposal, or article and ask: “Identify grammatical errors, unclear passages, and places where the tone is off.” Better than a spell-checker—it understands context and style.
6. Practice Difficult Conversations
Tell the AI you need to have a tough conversation (asking for a raise, ending a relationship, firing someone) and ask it to play the other person. It’s like a rehearsal before the real thing.
7. Get Personalized Recommendations
Ask for restaurant recommendations based on what you like, book suggestions in a specific genre, or podcast recommendations on a topic you’re interested in. The more specific you are about what you like, the better the suggestions.
8. Create a Study Plan
Tell the AI a subject you need to learn and how much time you have. Ask it to create a week-by-week study plan with resources. Way more effective than random studying.
9. Reverse-Engineer How Something Works
Describe a product or service you’re curious about and ask: “How do you think this company makes money from this?” or “What’s the business model here?” It teaches you to think like a business analyst.
10. Practice Active Listening
Type out something someone said to you in a conversation you found confusing or upsetting, and ask the AI: “What do you think they meant by this?” or “What might they be feeling right now?” It’s like having a therapist in your pocket.
The pattern here: ChatGPT isn’t just for generating text. It’s for thinking better. Use it that way, and suddenly it’s way more valuable.
