*Thisarticle is based on a YouTube video by Sophie Hundertmark, an expert in the use of artificial intelligence with a focus on chatbots and strategic AI applications in companies and public institutions. Sophie is a researcher and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is doing her doctorate in Conversational AI at the University of Fribourg. The blog text was created using a custom GPT model that was trained on Sophie’s video content, language style and expertise. The result is well-founded, up-to-date articles based on Sophie Hundertmark‘s own expertise.
You can find the link to the video at the end of this article.
A lot has happened with ChatGPT in September—and at the same time, there are features that are becoming increasingly useful in everyday work. This month, I focused particularly on plugins, ChatGPT projects, scheduled tasks, and structured planning with AI.
In this monthly recap, I’ll summarize the highlights of my September videos for you. It’s not just about what features are available, but above all about how you can meaningfully integrate them into your daily life and work.
1. Plugins: The Further Development of Custom GPTs
One of the major changes in September involves custom GPTs and plugins. OpenAI plans to discontinue Custom GPTs and offer a migration path for existing GPTs to plugins. Plugins can combine reusable code with connected apps and other features. The exact timing of the transition may vary depending on the plan and workspace.
For you, this means: If you’ve been creating your own GPTs up until now, it’s worth taking a closer look at plugins.
You’ll find several existing plugins in the plugin directory. In addition, you can create your own plugins to set up custom workflows.
One example from my September video is a plugin that creates LinkedIn posts in my own tone of voice. To do this, I provided the Plugin Creator with existing LinkedIn posts as a starting point and described what the plugin should be able to do. Based on this, a corresponding skill with appropriate instructions was created.
The exciting thing is: You don’t necessarily have to write the code yourself to create a simple plugin. In the dialog box, you can describe what you need, test the result, and then make further adjustments.
Plugins thus provide a way to standardize recurring workflows with ChatGPT. Instead of entering the same detailed instructions every time, you can save specific procedures as a reusable workflow.
2. ChatGPT Projects: Better Organization for Long-Term Work
Another topic in September was ChatGPT projects.
Projects are especially helpful when you’re not just asking ChatGPT a single question, but are working on a topic over an extended period of time. Chats, files, and project-specific instructions can be consolidated in one central location.
This can be useful, for example, for:
- one project per client,
- a project on a specific research topic,
- long-term content projects,
- planning a trip,
- or other personal and professional topics where the same context is needed time and again.
The key point here is not just how the chats are organized. You can also provide your own instructions for a project.
In it, you can specify, for example, the project’s objective, the background information ChatGPT should take into account, the target audience you’re working for, the role the AI should play, and the rules that apply to the results.
This way, you won’t have to repeat important information in every new chat.
My tip: Especially for projects you use frequently, take some time to write clear project instructions. The more clearly the context and your expectations are described, the better ChatGPT can perform within this project.
3. Scheduled Tasks: ChatGPT will continue working at a later time
Another useful feature is scheduling tasks in ChatGPT.
This allows you to schedule one-time or recurring tasks and, for example, have ChatGPT monitor changes. The availability of features may depend on your account, the app you’re using, and the app version.
Here’s a simple example from my video: I want to know when a certain product will be back in stock. Instead of searching for it regularly on your own, you can turn it into a scheduled task.
To ensure that these tasks work reliably, you should define the following as precisely as possible:
- What task should ChatGPT perform?
- When should the task start?
- How often should it be performed?
- What additional information is needed?
- In what format would you like to receive the results?
- Under what circumstances would you like to be notified?
That last point, in particular, is important. You don’t need to send a message every time you do a routine check. When monitoring a product, for example, it might be helpful to set the following preference: Notify me only if the product is actually available or on sale.
As a result, ChatGPT is increasingly evolving from a tool that merely responds to a current input into a tool for recurring processes.
4. Planning the Coming Week with ChatGPT
In addition to the new and enhanced features, September was also about making good use of existing capabilities.
A good example of this is weekly planning with ChatGPT.
Instead of simply writing “Plan my week,” you can give the AI a structured prompt. In it, you’ll first define the time period you want to organize. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a week—you can just as easily plan for a single day, three days, or a whole month.
Next are the most important general conditions.
Your goals and priorities are particularly important. ChatGPT should know which tasks are particularly important and what goals you want to achieve during the period in question.
Then you can add your tasks. This can be done as a traditional list. Depending on the feature you’re using, you can also provide information by, for example, taking a screenshot of your calendar or notes.
Next, describe how ChatGPT should proceed with the planning. For example, AI can prioritize tasks, break larger tasks down into smaller steps, and use that information to create a concrete schedule.
You should also specify the desired output format. One option, for example, is a table that includes the date, time slot, and task.
Let AI do the planning—but don’t give up your own thinking
With all these options , one point remains particularly important: Just because AI creates a plan doesn’t automatically mean that plan makes sense for you.
So always check:
Does the proposed prioritization really align with my goals? Are the time frames realistic? Is this really how I want to spend my day? Did ChatGPT overlook important contextual factors?
AI can help you organize information, identify options, and come up with initial suggestions. However, the decision about how you actually organize your daily life or your work is up to you.
Data Protection for Projects, Tasks, and Personal Planning
The more you integrate ChatGPT into your daily routines, the more important the issue of data protection becomes.
When planning your week, personal appointments, names, addresses, or other sensitive information can easily end up in the prompt. Files and long-term context can also be stored in projects. Plugins, in turn, allow you to integrate external apps and data sources.
Therefore, carefully consider what information you enter into which AI system and what data protection requirements apply to your specific use case.
Especially in a business context, data protection should not be considered only after an AI workflow has already been fully established, but should be part of the design from the very beginning.
What the September topics have in common
At first glance, plugins, projects, scheduled tasks, and structured prompts seem like four different topics. In fact, however, they show the same trend:
We are increasingly moving away from individual prompts and toward structured AI workflows.
A project provides context over an extended period of time. A plugin implements reusable capabilities and workflows. Scheduled tasks perform actions at defined times or under specific conditions. Good prompts, in turn, provide the AI with the necessary structure for specific tasks.
That’s exactly why it’s worth doing more than just trying out new AI tools all the time. A much more important question is: How can you meaningfully integrate AI into your existing processes?
So my advice for October is quite simple: Don’t try to pick ten new features all at once. Pick a recurring process from your daily routine and think about whether you can support it effectively with a project, a plugin, a scheduled task, or simply a better prompt.
And most importantly: Even with all this automation, keep thinking for yourself.
An Overview of the Top Topics for September
In September, the focus was on four practical topics: plugins as a new way to create reusable AI workflows, projects for long-term context, scheduled tasks for recurring processes, and structured prompts for better personal planning.
Together, they show where AI is headed: ChatGPT is becoming less of a tool that we open only to ask specific questions, and more of an environment where we can organize recurring workflows.
I’m curious to see which of these ideas you’ll incorporate into your daily lives in October.
Any further questions?
Do you have any questions? I am happy to support you, act as a sparring partner and answer your questions. I am always happy to receive your messages, preferably by WhatsApp message or e-mail.
