Quick Overview
This tutorial by OpenAI features Danielle Zaghian from Developer Education demonstrating the scheduled tasks feature in ChatGPT Work. The video explains how users can automate repetitive conversational prompts into scheduled routines across desktop, web, and mobile environments.
Key Points
- 1.ChatGPT Work allows users to automate repetitive prompts by setting them up as scheduled tasks that execute hourly, daily, or weekly.
- 2.Scheduled tasks can integrate directly with external productivity tools such as Google Calendar and Gmail through connected plugins.
- 3.Prompts can be tested and verified interactively before instructing ChatGPT to automate them on a recurring schedule.
- 4.The Scheduled tab in the sidebar provides controls to view upcoming execution times, alter schedules, pause tasks, or delete them.
- 5.Scheduled tasks can be paired with skills, where skills define formatting and workflow preferences while scheduled tasks manage execution timing.
Summary
Danielle Zaghian introduces scheduled tasks in ChatGPT Work as a method for automating routine, repetitive prompts. The feature allows users to configure automated tasks that run at designated intervals, such as hourly, daily, or weekly. These tasks can be set up and executed across the desktop application, web browser, or mobile interface at chatgpt.com.
To demonstrate an automated daily meeting preparation workflow, Zaghian opens the Plugins section in ChatGPT. The workflow relies on data from external applications, requiring Google Calendar and Gmail to be linked. If an integration is not yet active, users can select the install option and authenticate their accounts to grant access.
Before scheduling the workflow, Zaghian tests the prompt directly to confirm that the generated summary is practical and accurate. She instructs ChatGPT to review upcoming calendar events for the day, search Gmail for related discussion threads, and generate a concise brief for each meeting outlining objectives, decisions, risks, and next steps.
Once the brief is generated and approved, Zaghian commands ChatGPT to run the same preparation task every weekday at 9:00 AM. Navigating to the Scheduled view in the sidebar displays the newly configured task alongside its schedule and next execution time. This dashboard provides controls to adjust run times, pause automated runs, or delete tasks entirely.
Zaghian then incorporates a custom skill into the scheduled routine. She notes that while a scheduled task dictates when an action runs, a skill specifies how the work should be performed and formatted. Applying the Meeting Prep skill updates the automated output to adhere to a structured briefing template. Additional suggested applications include checking an inbox twice a day for urgent messages, compiling monthly event recommendations, and running hourly checks for event ticket availability.
Connecting External Plugins
Scheduled tasks operate across the ChatGPT desktop application, web browsers, and mobile devices within ChatGPT Work. Setting up workflows like meeting preparation requires connecting external services, such as Google Calendar and Gmail, via the Plugins menu.
Testing and Scheduling Prompts
Before establishing a routine, prompts are run manually to ensure the generated output meets the user's requirements. Once confirmed, the user specifies a recurring schedule, such as every weekday morning, to run the task automatically.
Managing Tasks in the Sidebar
Active routines are accessible under the Scheduled option in the navigation sidebar. This view displays the prompt, its recurrence rule, and next run time, while offering options to modify timings, pause execution, or remove the task.
Combining Scheduled Tasks with Skills
Scheduled tasks can be linked with custom skills to ensure outputs follow specific document structures and formatting guidelines. Other suggested use cases include checking inboxes for urgent messages twice a day, generating monthly event lists, and monitoring ticket availability hourly.
The Bottom Line
The video provides a direct walkthrough of creating and managing automated recurring workflows within ChatGPT Work. It shows how plugins, prompts, schedules, and skills combine to handle routine tasks in the background. It focuses on setup mechanics and end-user controls, leaving technical limits and advanced workflow error handling unaddressed.
FAQ
What is a scheduled task in ChatGPT Work and how does it function?
A scheduled task is an automated workflow in ChatGPT Work that runs a specified prompt automatically at recurring intervals, such as hourly, daily, or weekly.
Which desktop, web, or mobile platforms support scheduled tasks in ChatGPT Work?
Scheduled tasks can be configured and run using the ChatGPT desktop application as well as through web and mobile browsers at chatgpt.com.
How are Google Calendar and Gmail plugins connected for automated scheduled tasks in ChatGPT?
Users open the Plugins menu in ChatGPT, check if Google Calendar and Gmail are connected, and select Install to authenticate any unlinked accounts.
How can users manage, pause, or edit existing scheduled tasks in the ChatGPT sidebar?
Users can click the Scheduled tab in the sidebar to review upcoming runs, change the execution time, pause tasks, or remove them.
What is the difference between a skill and a scheduled task in ChatGPT Work?
A skill determines how work is structured and formatted according to user preferences, while a scheduled task dictates the timing of when that work is executed.
What other example automation workflows can be configured using ChatGPT Work scheduled tasks?
Other examples shown include checking email twice daily for urgent messages, finding city events on the first day of each month, and scanning ticket availability hourly.
Worth watching for
Knowledge workers and professionals using ChatGPT Work who want to automate recurring daily routines, email summaries, and calendar preparation.
- chatgpt
- automation
- chatgpt-work
- scheduled-tasks
- productivity