Don’t sleep on AI: A beginner’s guide to using Chat GPT to improve your life (with 16 game-changing prompts to try)

Life can feel like a never-ending to-do list, and in mid-January, motivation is tough. I get it. 

But what if you had a virtual assistant—one that works 24/7, never complains, and can help you with everything from meal planning to managing your finances? 

Like most of us, I had my concerns and scepticism about AI. There’s an apprehension that’s fuelled by what the future may hold. 

But over Christmas, I decided to play around with it for personal tasks, and I have to admit, I like it. 

Now, as a single woman who lives alone, half a bottle of wine in, it’s nice to have someone to chat to other than the dog, I’ll admit. My new rule is to draw the line when it starts to become a counselling session, or if I’m asking it whether I should go back on Tinder at 11.00pm. 

Anyway, we digress. What I discovered was that ChatGPT can actually be really helpful to quickly pull basic information together that previously would have taken a lot of research or just generally admin time that we didn’t need to spend. 

In this guide, I’m not just going to tell you how AI can transform your daily life; I’m giving you the exact prompts to use to make it happen. 

From planning a diet with meal prep and a shopping list to creating a weekly schedule that keeps you on track, here’s how you can use AI to make life that little bit easier…

1. AI for organising your life

Relieve some of the mental load by using AI to help you organise your day-to-day tasks and plans. Want to try a specific diet? No problem. Just put in the food you want to eat, and AI can provide meal plans, shopping lists and more. Remember, the more information you put in, the more useful the output will be. 

The prompts to try:

  • Weekly meal planning:
    “Plan a weekly dinner menu for a family of four on a £50 budget. Include quick recipes for busy evenings, vegetarian options for two days, and one slow-cooker meal. Provide a grocery list categorised by section (e.g., fresh produce, pantry staples).”
  • Budgeting:
    “Create a budget for someone earning £2,000 monthly, with £800 for rent, £200 for food shopping, £100 for transport, and a £200 savings goal. Break it down by week and suggest areas to cut costs for saving an extra £50.”
  • Time management:
    “Organise my Saturday into a productive schedule. I want to clean the house, take the kids to the park, meal prep for the week, and spend two hours on personal relaxation. Prioritise tasks and provide time slots.”

2. AI for personal growth and learning

AI can be your personal tutor, coach, or inspiration. Want to learn a new skill? AI is there for you. Need some bespoke journaling points on a certain topic? Just ask. 

The prompts to try:

  • Learning a new language to go on holiday:
    “Create a 15-minute French lesson for a beginner. Focus on basic travel phrases like greetings, ordering food, and asking for directions. Include pronunciation tips and examples in a conversational tone.”
  • Skill development:
    “Outline a four-week plan for learning beginner photography. Include weekly goals (e.g., Week 1: Understanding camera settings), daily 20-minute practice tasks, and links to free resources.”
  • Self-reflection:
    “Help me write a reflective journal entry about achieving balance between work and personal life. Include three thought-provoking questions to guide my writing.”

3. AI for work productivity

AI can help you tackle professional tasks more efficiently. Be careful here – when using AI in a work capacity, always fact check. We recommend practicing with some small basic tasks to help spark creativity at first. 

The prompts to try:

  • Email writing:
    “Write a professional but friendly email to my team asking them to submit ideas for a new product launch ahead of Friday’s meeting.”
  • Brainstorming ideas:
    “Suggest 15 creative Instagram post ideas for a wellness studio that focuses on lymphatic drainage. Include hooks for captions and trending hashtags.”
  • Summarising content:
    “Summarise this five-page report on local market trends into three key insights and provide a short paragraph for each to include in a team meeting presentation.”
  • Presentation prep:
    “Draft a three-minute speech to introduce a new community project promoting sustainable living in Newcastle. Make it engaging and motivational.”

4. AI for health and wellbeing

AI can act as a virtual coach for your physical and mental wellness goals, whether it’s a diet plan, exercise regime or gratitude prompts. 

The prompts to try:

  • Exercise planning:
    “Create a four-week at-home fitness plan for someone new to exercise who only has 30 minutes a day. Include alternating cardio and strength training routines that require no equipment.”
  • Mental health check-ins:
    “Help me come up with a daily gratitude practice. Suggest three unique prompts to reflect on each day, such as ‘What made you smile today?’ or ‘What challenge did you overcome?’”
  • Healthy eating:
    “Design a meal prep plan for a busy professional who wants to eat healthier. Include breakfast smoothies, make-ahead lunches, and quick dinners that are high in protein and low in sugar. Include a shopping list.”

5. AI for fun and entertainment

AI can spark creativity and add a dose of joy to your downtime. Let AI do the hard work, so you can spend more time enjoying yourself. 

The prompts to try:

  • Family activities:
    “Plan a treasure hunt for children aged 8-10. Include five creative riddles for hiding spots around the house and a theme based on ‘pirates.’ Suggest small prizes for each clue.”
  • Book recommendations:
    “Recommend three historical fiction novels similar to The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, with strong female leads and a gripping storyline.”
  • Creative storytelling:
    “Help me create a bedtime story for my 6-year-old about a brave squirrel who rescues her forest friends from a sneaky fox. Include a moral about teamwork and courage.”
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Laura Kingston
Founder and Editor

Laura is the Founder and Editor of High Life North. She had the idea to set up an exclusively digital women’s magazine after feeling there was a gap in the market in the North East. With over 10 years of experience in marketing and PR, Laura had a very clear…

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