# The first 30 minutes: set up an AI tool for useful work

Original 5HO practice material. Fictional example. Reviewed 5 October 2026.

## Useful result

You'll finish with a checked first task using information you are allowed to use.

Your first setup session should end with one checked result, not a collection of half-finished settings screens. We will keep the account work small and leave the integrations for later.

## Set up

Budget 30 minutes on the official app or website for your chosen assistant. Use an account appropriate for your organisation. Do not buy a plan just to complete this text exercise.

## Practice input

Writing preferences: Australian spelling; short paragraphs; ask if a missing fact changes the answer. Test notes: two training sessions delivered; attendance total not yet checked; next session proposed for Tuesday.

## Do the task

1. Minutes 0–10: sign in and inspect the account’s data and personalisation controls. Record settings you cannot change.
2. Minutes 10–20: add the three writing preferences where supported, or paste them at the start of a chat.
3. Minutes 20–30: run the sample, correct the result and save the prompt.

## Prompt

Use these writing preferences to produce an 80-word training update from the notes. Keep unverified attendance and the proposed date visibly uncertain.

## Refine

Check whether the output follows each preference. Tell me which settings I still need to verify myself in the app.

## Expected checks

The update should not invent attendance numbers. A pasted preference is a usable fallback but not evidence that account-level instructions were saved. Stop setup if an unexpected permission or payment request appears.

## Save

Keep setup-notes.txt with the controls you checked and one successful draft. Reopen the app later and test the preferences again.

## Sources

- Memory controls and their limits: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8590148-memory-in-chatgpt