The Tool Is Disappearing. The Method Isn't.

I almost bought a guide about creating Custom GPTs a month or so ago.

It looked interesting. Well-organized. Probably useful for someone.

And normally I might have thought: "Oooh... I need that."

But I stopped myself.

I've been deliberately working on avoiding shiny object syndrome and all the noise around AI. I already have enough projects sitting on my plate. The last thing I needed was to buy something else that would create another project I probably wouldn't get around to finishing.

So I didn't buy it.

Look at me, actually practicing what I preach. (Someone mark this on a calendar.) LOL

Then comes the ironic part.

A few days later, I discover that one AI project I CAN'T simply ignore has officially landed on my to-do list.

Custom GPTs are going away.

According to OpenAI's official documentation, Custom GPTs are scheduled to retire on December 11, 2026. The company is moving creators toward Plugins, which package reusable instructions, reference files, and connected apps together. Migration access is rolling out gradually across accounts.

Here's why this actually matters to me.

I created a Custom GPT for my Rapid Content Method. This isn't some fun experiment sitting in my account. People who purchased the course use this tool. It walks them through the workflow. It makes the method actionable.

So this creates a real business problem.

How do I preserve what I built and continue making it available to my students after Custom GPTs disappear?

That is the question I'm currently working through.

I don't have the answer yet. And I'm not going to pretend I do.

What I know: OpenAI is recommending migration to Plugins. The GPT's instructions become a Skill within the new Plugin. Knowledge files transfer over. But custom actions don't migrate automatically. And the replacement may respond differently, so testing is essential.

What I don't know: Whether my students will need a specific ChatGPT plan. Whether the replacement can be shared easily. Whether it will work outside ChatGPT. How difficult setup will be for a beginner.

One possibility I'm exploring is turning the core Rapid Content Method instructions into a portable Markdown-based workflow or Skill. The attraction is portability. Instead of the value being trapped inside one Custom GPT, the instructions could potentially be used with different AI platforms that support instruction files.

I'm investigating this because portability would be valuable. I am NOT claiming it will definitely work on every AI platform. That hasn't been established.

Other possibilities include migrating toward OpenAI's Plugin system, rebuilding as a simple app or creating a platform-independent instruction package. Another solution I haven't discovered yet might turn out to be the right one.

The Bigger Lesson

Here's the part that matters even if you don't have a Custom GPT.

Technology changes. Platforms change. Features disappear. Something we build today may need to be rebuilt differently tomorrow.

That's frustrating. But it also creates an important question:

"Do I own the METHOD or do I only own where I put it?"

My Rapid Content Method itself isn't disappearing. The strategy isn't disappearing. The knowledge isn't disappearing.

Only the container is changing.

The real asset isn't necessarily the GPT, the software, the funnel builder or the AI tool. The real asset may be the process, the framework, the instructions, the content, the audience, the knowledge we've developed.

Platforms are containers. The intellectual property and process should be portable whenever possible.

A colleague dealing with the same transition shared an idea that stuck: "It's an opportunity rather than a setback."

Being forced to rethink an old solution can make us learn something better. Maybe I end up with something better than the Custom GPT. Maybe it becomes easier for students. Maybe it becomes more portable.

I don't know yet. And that's okay.

The Filter That Matters

This connects back to something I talked about last week.

There's a difference between chasing something because it's NEW and learning something because your business actually NEEDS it.

Last week I said no to another shiny object. This week I've identified something that genuinely belongs on the list.

That's a useful filter. Before jumping into the latest AI thing, ask yourself: "Is this moving something important forward or am I just attracted to it because it's new?"

I don't know yet whether Rapid Content Method ends up as a Plugin, Skill, app, portable instruction file or something else.

But I do know this:

The method isn't going anywhere.

Only the container is changing. And maybe being forced to rethink the container will lead to something even better.

If you also have Custom GPTs, start thinking now about what you need to preserve: your instructions, knowledge files, workflows, examples and processes. Don't panic. Just start identifying what part of what you built is the real asset.

And if you're working through similar transitions, come join the conversation in the SMS community. I'd love to hear what you're figuring out.