ChatGPT Projects: give each workstream its own instructions and memory
Project instructions override your global custom instructions inside that project, and project-only memory keeps context from leaking across.
If you use one ChatGPT for job hunting, a side project and meal planning, they’re probably colliding. Projects group related chats and files with their own instructions.
The useful details
- Project instructions override your global custom instructions, but only inside that project. Make one project “terse senior engineer” and another “friendly copy editor”.
- Upload reference files once to the project instead of re-attaching them in each chat.
- Pick project-only memory when you want the project to use only its own chats and files, not your saved memories from elsewhere.
Simple split
- Custom instructions: stable, global preferences (tone, units, who you are).
- Project instructions: role and rules for one workflow.