Getting Started with GPT Tasks: Proactive Reminders and Automation in ChatGPT

Introduction

OpenAI has recently introduced a powerful new feature called GPT Tasks for ChatGPT. This update allows ChatGPT to proactively send you reminders and scheduled messages—think of it as having a smart assistant that not only answers your questions but also keeps you on track with your daily tasks. Whether you want to remember to check your email, get daily news summaries, or receive learning prompts, GPT Tasks can help automate your routine.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how GPT Tasks work, how to enable them, and share practical examples to help you get started.

What Are GPT Tasks?

GPT Tasks let you schedule reminders and recurring messages directly within ChatGPT. For example, you can simply type, “Remind me to check my email tomorrow at 10 AM,” and ChatGPT will recognize the date and time, set the reminder, and notify you when it’s due.

When the scheduled time arrives, you’ll receive a push notification on your device or an email with a link to the relevant message from ChatGPT.

Getting Started with GPT Tasks: Proactive Reminders and Automation in ChatGPT

Key Features and Limitations

  • Available on GPT-4o (Paid Plans Only): GPT Tasks are currently exclusive to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers.
  • Task Limit: You can have up to 10 active tasks at a time.
  • Full ChatGPT Functionality: Aside from scheduled tasks, you can continue to use ChatGPT as usual for any questions or conversations.

How to Enable and Use GPT Tasks

Follow these steps to start using GPT Tasks:

  1. Select the Right Model:

    • Choose «GPT-4o with scheduled tasks» in ChatGPT (available only on paid plans).

  2. Create a Task:

    • In the chat, type your request including the task and the desired time. For example:
      • «Remind me tomorrow at 10 AM to check my email.»

  3. Receive Notifications:

    • At the scheduled time, you’ll get a push notification on your device and an email with a link to the reminder message.

  4. Manage Your Tasks:

    • Go to the «Tasks» section to edit, pause, or delete existing reminders.
    • Tip: For clarity, consider creating a new chat for each separate task.

Practical Prompt Ideas for GPT Tasks

Here are some real-world examples and prompts you can use to automate your workflow:

1. Evening Weekly Task Updates

  • Prompt:

    Every evening at 9:00 PM, send me a list of my weekly tasks and ask for a status update.
    Format: Task — Completed / Not completed

2. News and Announcements Summaries

  • Prompt:

    Every Friday at 10:00 AM, send a summary of the top 5 launches from Product Hunt this week.
    Format: 🔹 Name — Short description — Link

Note: Sometimes GPT may not filter by the exact date range, but overall it works well for summaries.

3. Daily Market Updates

  • Prompt:

    Every morning at 9:00 AM, send me a summary of current prices for BTC, ADA, ETH, DOT, gold, and S&P500.
    Format: 🔹 Name — Price — 24h Change

4. Microlearning Sessions

  • Prompt:

    I’m learning «Prompt Engineering.» Break it into 10 modules and send me the next module with a practical task every day at 8:30 AM.

5. Daily Vocabulary Builder

  • Prompt:

    Every morning at 7:30 AM, send me 10 new English C1-level words with translations and example sentences.

6. Morning Affirmations

  • Prompt:

    Every morning at 7:00 AM, send me this affirmation: {Your affirmation text}

7. Content Publishing Reminders

  • Prompt:

    Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 AM, remind me to publish a post on Twitter. Suggest 5 draft topics based on my interests.

8. Product Metrics Monitoring (Advanced)

  • Prompt:

    Every morning at 8:00 AM, analyze my product metrics in {Notion or Google Sheets link}. If you spot anomalies, highlight them and report the percentage deviation.

Note: This use case may require integration with automation tools like Make or n8n for best results.

Tips and Best Practices

  • Time Recognition: GPT Tasks reliably understands time-based commands like:
    • «Every Sunday evening»
    • «Three times a day»
    • «Morning and evening»
    • «Every 3 hours»
    • «At the end of each month»
  • Explicit Reminders: If GPT doesn’t recognize your reminder, start your prompt with «Set a reminder to…» for better accuracy.
  • Task Management: Use the «Tasks» section to keep your reminders organized. Creating separate chats for each task can help avoid confusion.
  • Beta Status: GPT Tasks are still in beta, so expect occasional quirks. For more complex workflows, consider integrating with automation platforms like Make or n8n.
  • Comparison: While similar features exist in Siri and Google Assistant, GPT Tasks centralize everything in ChatGPT, making it a convenient all-in-one solution.

Conclusion

GPT Tasks is a promising addition to ChatGPT, making it more than just a conversational AI. With proactive reminders and scheduled messages, you can automate daily routines, stay organized, and even enhance your learning or productivity. While the feature is still evolving, it’s already quite usable and can be tailored to a wide range of needs.

Have creative ideas for using GPT Tasks? Share them in the comments!

Stay tuned for more tips on maximizing your AI-powered productivity tools!