How to Use ChatGPT Projects to Stay Organised and Save Time

If you use ChatGPT frequently in your accounting business — whether for writing marketing material, building internal systems, or generating reports — you’ll know how quickly things can get out of hand. Chats pile up, useful threads get buried, and you find yourself starting over more often than you’d like.

That’s where ChatGPT Projects come in. Introduced in late 2024, Projects are one of the most useful features OpenAI has added for serious users. They allow you to structure your work in a more efficient, repeatable way — helping you stay organised, reduce repetitive tasks, and produce better results with far less effort.

Let me explain how it works — and how you can start using Projects to get more value from ChatGPT in your accounting firm.

And make sure you check out the full video on this topic here.

What Are ChatGPT Projects?

Think of Projects as smart folders inside ChatGPT. But rather than just holding files or conversations, they act more like tailored workspaces. Inside a Project, you can group together related chats, upload key documents, and set project-specific instructions that tell ChatGPT how to behave.

This means every time you start a new chat within a Project, it already has access to the context, files, and formatting preferences you’ve set — giving you much better results straight away.

This is particularly useful for accountants and business owners who use ChatGPT across a range of tasks — from financial analysis to copywriting. Instead of reinventing the wheel with each new chat, you build a structure once and reuse it as often as you like.

Why You Should Use Projects

Before Projects were launched, staying organised inside ChatGPT meant renaming chats manually, creating your own naming conventions, and using the search tool to try and find previous conversations. It worked — but just barely.

Now, with Projects, you can group related chats together in a much cleaner way. This helps reduce clutter, improves focus, and gives you quicker access to what you need. But the real power goes further.

Projects allow you to “teach” ChatGPT how to behave within a specific context. Want it to write in your brand’s voice? Done. Want it to focus only on small business tax planning, or your internal training materials? You can do that. Everything is structured in one place — and ChatGPT remembers it all.

For heavy users — particularly those running busy firms or juggling multiple roles — this can save hours every week and lead to better-quality outputs.

How to Set Up a Project (Step-by-Step)

Getting started is simple. On the left-hand side of your ChatGPT window, you’ll see a section called “Projects.” Click New Project, give it a name (for example, “Marketing” or “Client Onboarding”), and hit create.

You’ll then be working inside that project environment. Every chat you create will automatically be stored there. You can also move old chats into the new Project by clicking the three dots next to a chat and selecting Add to Project.

This is useful if you want to consolidate past work — for example, pulling together all your copywriting chats into one space or grouping your strategic planning discussions for easy reference.

If you're already using ChatGPT regularly, this small setup step can dramatically reduce the time you spend switching between conversations or searching for old prompts.

Custom Instructions: The Secret Weapon

One of the most powerful parts of Projects is the ability to set project-specific instructions.

Unlike global custom instructions (which apply to all your chats), Project instructions only apply to chats inside that workspace. This allows you to tailor ChatGPT’s behaviour for specific workflows.

For example, inside a project for blog writing, you might want ChatGPT to always write in your firm’s tone of voice, use short paragraphs, and include bullet points for clarity. In another project — say, one focused on financial forecasting — you might want it to act like a technical accountant and follow a formal structure.

By adding detailed instructions once, you avoid the need to repeat yourself with every prompt. This is especially valuable if you delegate tasks to team members or want to keep your messaging consistent across different parts of the business.

The key is to be specific. The clearer your instructions, the better ChatGPT will perform inside the project.

What Files Should You Upload to a Project?

Alongside the instructions, you can also upload project files — and this is where things get really interesting.

Think of your project files as permanent reference material. Once uploaded, ChatGPT can access these files in any chat inside the project. You don’t have to re-upload them each time. You don’t even need to reference them in the prompt — ChatGPT will automatically draw from them when generating responses.

Here are a few examples of files that accountants might upload to a project:

• A customer avatar document describing your ideal client’s demographics, goals, and pain points
• A file containing your best client testimonials
• Detailed success stories or case studies showing how you’ve helped clients in the past
• Sample copy or previously written blog posts
• Internal frameworks like your email writing template or onboarding process
• By giving ChatGPT the right context from the start, you’ll get stronger outputs with less effort.

Why Context is Everything

When you work with ChatGPT in isolation — without instructions or files — you’re starting from scratch every time. That means more prompting, more tweaking, and more frustration.

But when you use Projects, you’re giving ChatGPT the context it needs to get it right the first time.

Let’s say you’ve uploaded a client persona for plumbing business owners. Now, when you ask it to write a blog post about cash flow, it will automatically tailor the content to that audience — using the right tone, examples, and terminology — without you having to prompt it every time.

Likewise, if you’ve uploaded testimonials and success stories, ChatGPT can pull those directly into your content to make it more persuasive.

This is why Projects are such a time-saver — and why they produce better content more consistently.

Use Cases for Accountants

The applications are endless, but here are a few real-world examples of how accounting professionals are using Projects:

• Marketing: Create consistent blogs, emails, and landing pages that speak directly to your audience
• Strategic Planning: Store your SWOT analysis, goals, and financial models to guide planning sessions
• Client Onboarding: Build reusable templates for welcome emails, process guides, and checklists
• Internal Training: Keep SOPs, workflows, and how-to guides in one place
• Personal Projects: Even outside work, you can use projects to manage things like health goals or learning

You can create a Project for any task that needs structure and consistency. The more you build into each workspace, the more powerful and efficient ChatGPT becomes.

Pro Tip

Start with just one project — preferably Marketing.
Upload your client avatar, testimonials, and sample content. Add detailed instructions. Then start your next blog or email inside that project. You’ll be amazed at the quality of the output — and how much less prompting you need to do.

FAQ

Do I need a paid plan to use Projects?

Yes. Projects are available on ChatGPT Plus, Teams, and Enterprise plans only.

Can I access Projects on mobile?

Yes. You can now upload files and manage Projects through the mobile app as of June 2025.

Can I share a project with my team?

You can now share chats within projects if you’re on a Teams or Enterprise plan.

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Final Thoughts

That’s your full guide to getting started with ChatGPT Projects.

Once you’ve set up your first project and see how much time it saves — you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.

Check out the full video on this topic here.

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The Value Pricing Academy Team