For Executive Assistants ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have a ChatGPT Project configured as your personal EA assistant — one that already knows your executive's name, communication style, preferred formats, common contacts, and recurring tasks. Instead of re-explaining context every time you open ChatGPT, every conversation starts with this shared understanding already loaded.
What you'll need
Go to chatgpt.com → Settings → Upgrade to Plus. The Projects feature requires a paid plan.
What you should see: Your ChatGPT home page with a "Projects" section in the left sidebar.
In the left sidebar, click "Projects" → "New Project." Name it something like "[Executive's First Name] EA" or "EA Dashboard." This project will store all your context and conversations in one place.
What you should see: A new project workspace with a clean conversation view and an "Instructions" or "Settings" section.
In the Project settings, find the "Instructions" or "Custom Instructions" field. This is the most important step — this text runs before every conversation in this project. Write 2–4 paragraphs covering:
I am an Executive Assistant supporting [Executive Name], [Title] at [Company Name].
About [Executive Name]: [2-3 sentences about their role, priorities, and communication style. Example: "She is a direct communicator who prefers bullet points over paragraphs. She values brevity — if something can be said in 3 sentences, don't use 6."]
When drafting emails or correspondence: [tone preferences, sign-off style, any phrases to avoid]
Common tasks I need help with: email drafts, meeting agendas, travel itineraries, briefing documents, meeting follow-ups, and professional research.
Important contacts and their roles: [list 3-5 key contacts with context — e.g., "Sarah Kim = CFO, formal relationship; Jake Torres = executive coach, personal/professional relationship"]
In the Project, look for a file upload option (paperclip icon or "Add files" button). Upload:
ChatGPT will reference these files when you ask related questions.
What you should see: Uploaded files listed in the project, available to reference in conversations.
Start a new conversation inside your Project. Ask it to draft an email on your executive's behalf. It should produce output that already reflects the tone and style you specified — without you having to explain any context.
What you should see: A draft that matches your executive's communication style and uses appropriate formality — right from the first attempt.
(Use inside your EA Project — context is already loaded)
"Draft an email from [Executive] to [contact] following up on our meeting last week about [topic]. Key points to include: [list]"
"Create a 1-page briefing for [Executive]'s meeting with [name] at [company] tomorrow at 2pm. Meeting purpose: [purpose]"
"Here are my executive's rough notes from today's board call: [paste notes]. Clean these up into formal meeting minutes."
"Create a week's worth of scheduling hold email replies. My executive is unavailable [dates] due to [reason]. Make each reply slightly different."