Key Takeaways
- ChatGPT can be shaped through Personalization and Custom Instructions, so replies feel steadier and less annoying.
- A short style line can block slash-style gender wording and keep one consistent generic form.
- A small Dutch mini-lesson helps recognize common menu terms while adjusting these settings.
Story & Details
ChatGPT is often judged by the small things. The tone. The rhythm. The little habits that repeat. On December eighteen, two thousand twenty-five, the focus is not on bigger models or new features, but on something quieter: making the same tool feel more natural every time it speaks.
The name of the setting is Custom Instructions. It sits inside Personalization. It is simple in idea: a place to store preferences so they do not need to be repeated. For people who care about clean language, this box becomes a kind of filter. It can keep replies direct. It can keep them calm. And it can stop a specific style that feels clunky on the page: slash-style gender variants.
A clean style preference that stays out of the way
A short preference can make a strong difference: avoid slash-style gender wording and keep one consistent generic form. When a sentence would sound forced, rewrite it instead of squeezing in awkward shapes. The result is smoother text that reads like it was written by one person, not stitched together.
A tiny Dutch mini-lesson for the menu words
Instellingen — settings
Word-by-word: instellingen — settings
Tone and use: neutral, everyday, common in apps
Personalisatie — personalization
Word-by-word: personalisatie — personalization
Tone and use: neutral, used for profile and behavior settings
Aangepaste instructies — custom instructions
Word-by-word: aangepaste — customized; instructies — instructions
Tone and use: practical, used for stored preferences
Plak het hier — paste it here
Word-by-word: plak — paste; het — it; hier — here
Tone and use: direct and friendly, common in forms
Why it feels bigger than it looks
A single box changes the feel of everything that comes after it. When the preference is clear, the replies stop drifting. The same voice returns, again and again, without extra effort.
Conclusions
Personalization is not loud, but it is powerful. The smallest preferences can turn a helpful tool into one that feels comfortable, consistent, and easier to trust for daily writing.
Selected References
[1] https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8096356-chatgpt-custom-instructions
[2] https://openai.com/index/custom-instructions-for-chatgpt/
[3] https://openai.com/index/memory-and-new-controls-for-chatgpt/
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmP3XXwKJ60
Appendix
ChatGPT: A conversational AI product that can answer questions and help with writing, planning, and learning.
Custom Instructions: A settings feature that stores preferences about tone, format, and wording, so replies follow the same style across chats.
Dutch: The main language used in the Netherlands (Europe), often seen in short menu words inside apps and phones.
Masculine Generic: A language preference where one generic form is chosen as the default for general references.
Personalization: A settings area where behavior and style can be adjusted so replies match a preferred voice.
Slash Forms: A writing style that combines alternatives with a slash; some readers prefer to avoid it for cleaner, more natural text.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 