Build Your Personal AI Coach with Custom GPT

Why a personal AI can make change easier

From vague intentions to tiny prompts

A personal GPT helps you translate big goals into ultra-specific, context-aware micro-steps. It can remember your preferred cues, the two-minute baselines you’ve chosen, and the words that make you feel safe and motivated. Used well, it’s a gentle nudge, not a drill sergeant.

Boundaries and safety

Set guardrails: no medical, legal, or financial advice; no shame language; always offer a smaller step. Ask for one micro-step and one “as if” rehearsal suggestion per interaction. Keep tone kind and concrete.

How to configure your Custom GPT

Teach your contexts

Tell it when and where you act best (“mornings before kids wake,” “after lunch,” “evening walk”). Provide your existing habit stacks and the objects available in those locations. The model will suggest feasible next steps instead of fantasy schedules.

Micro-semantics the bot should use

Language of friction (what’s hard), affordance (what makes it easy), and closure (how to finish). Prompts should invite tiny, finishable moves and celebrate completion.

Query semantics we address

What should I ask my GPT each day?

“Suggest one micro-step for [domain] tied to [cue], plus a 15-second ‘as if’ rehearsal cue and a one-word celebration.”

Can GPT keep me accountable?

It can remind and reflect, but you stay in charge. For accountability, ask it to help you design environment cues and social signals that don’t create shame.

Starter prompt you can paste

The gentle micro-coach

“You are my gentle micro-coach. Always: 1) ask my available energy (low/medium/high), 2) propose one two-minute step tied to my chosen cue, 3) offer a 15-second ‘as if’ rehearsal (posture, breath, first move), 4) script a tiny celebration, 5) if I resist, halve the step and ask for consent. Never shame, never push past my consent, never give clinical or financial advice.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a replacement for a therapist or coach?

No. It’s a supportive tool for everyday micro-steps. Seek professional help for diagnosis, treatment, or crisis.

How do I keep it from overwhelming me?

Lock the “one step only” rule. If it proposes multiple steps, ask it to choose the smallest one. Teach it your baselines and your hard “no” signals.

What if I stop using it?

That’s fine. The goal is your behavior, not app streaks. When you return, start with your baseline loop, then ask the GPT for a single tiny upgrade.

Custom GPT