The Rundown: In this tutorial, you will learn how to change your thinking patterns and come up with creative ideas and solutions for any problem with ChatGPT.

Who is this useful for:

• Founders and startup builders who feel stuck solving recurring problems
• Creators and knowledge workers who want fresh perspectives
• Product managers exploring new solutions for churn or engagement
• Anyone who wants to shift their thinking habits to unlock breakthroughs

STEP 1: Getting started and accessing ChatGPT

To start, head over to chatgpt and toggle on GPT-5. Leave it in Auto mode for now - ChatGPT will determine whether your problem required quick thinking or deeper reasoning. You can experiment with Thinking Mode later if you want GPT-5 to push into deeper reasoning, but Auto is a good baseline.

The key here is a special prompt designed to shift your mental patterns. Instead of circling the same old solutions, GPT-5 will ask you targeted questions that surface blind spots in your thinking.

STEP 2: Enter the prompt and describe your goal or problem

The prompt to use is:

“I’m trying to [briefly describe your goal or problem], but I’m continuously stuck on the same ideas. Ask me enough questions about the problem to find a new approach.”

Remove the brackets and dictate your own problem into ChatGPT. I used Wispr Flow for voice input (Super Whisper works too), which made the process smoother.

For example, I gave this hypothetical:

“I’m trying to find a solution to decrease churn for a calorie-tracking AI app.”

That’s it. Simple starting point - then let GPT-5 take it from there. Additionally, you can provide more context at the start to tell GPT-5 exactly how you currently solve that problem. This should narrow down the questions asked in the next step.

STEP 3: Add your current thinking

Here’s where it gets powerful. Before GPT-5 asks you questions, give it your current approaches so it knows where you’re already focused. For me, I added:

1. User calls: Get on as many calls as possible to ask why people are churning, then try to fix those reasons with new features or education.
2. Exit surveys: Triggered when someone cancels, paired with a discount incentive to collect feedback.

Once I gave that context, GPT-5 knew what I was already trying and could push me to think beyond it.

STEP 4: Let GPT-5 unlock new thinking

After sending the prompt, GPT-5 came back with structured categories I hadn’t considered fully - user understanding, product experience, engagement, education, aha-moments, offers, and analytics.

It asked sharper questions like:

• Why are users actually using the app? (health goals, streak motivation, etc.)
• Which segment has the highest churn? (free trial to paid drop-off)
• What’s the aha moment? (logging first meal/workout auto-created)
• What engagement levers aren’t being tested? (day-one challenges, guided walkthroughs, pause options, community features)

That line of questioning revealed churn points I hadn’t thought of.

STEP 5: Review fresh solutions and keep iterating

By answering GPT-5’s questions, I discovered 7 days’ worth of churn-reduction ideas - things I hadn’t considered at all in my initial plan. These included:

• Anchoring personal goals more strongly
• Testing a day-one challenge to build habit formation
• Adding community features beyond simple social sharing
• Experimenting with pause subscriptions rather than immediate cancellations
• Bundling extra value instead of just offering discounts at exit

These weren’t obvious to me at the start, but surfaced because GPT-5 forced me to explore different angles.

Pro Tip: Use this workflow for any problem, not just churn**.** The magic is in how GPT-5 questions you until you hit new thinking pathways. It is very helpful for better brainstorming.