AI Isn’t the Future — It’s the Present. Are You Using It?

At the risk of putting myself out of business, I want to encourage you: don’t be afraid to start exploring AI.

There are plenty of options out there, but ChatGPT and Claude are two great places to begin. It might feel unfamiliar at first — much like the early days of the internet or social media, when many people weren’t quite sure if they needed to learn those tools. Now, of course, it’s hard to imagine life without them.

AI isn’t going anywhere. The sooner you take a little time to get comfortable with it, the more natural and useful it will become as the technology continues to grow.

To start, AI isn’t magic. It’s not going to wash your dishes or walk your dog….yet. But used right, it’s like having a turbocharged assistant — minus the awkward check-ins. Let dive in.

1. Start Small — Automate the Annoying Stuff First: AI shines by helping simplify the annoying, repetitive tasks that quietly suck hours from your week:

• Draft that first difficult email you’ve been avoiding

• Summarize 10 pages of meeting notes into 5 bullet points

• Brainstorm 10 social media captions in 2 minutes

• Turn messy notes into a clean, client-ready proposal

• Organize your chaotic grocery list based on meals for the week

We’re looking for the small wins here.

2. Turn AI Into Your Prioritization Coach: You don't need AI to give you more to do. You need it to help you do less, but better.

• Break big projects into step-by-step plans

• Create "If you only have 30 minutes…" action lists

• Copy and paste long emails or newsletters (hint) into ChatGPT and have it read aloud to you.

Remember: focus > frenzy.

3. Get Unstuck Faster (No More Staring at Blank Pages): New project but no clue where to start? Bring in the bots. Prompt AI to:

• Outline a blog post, newsletter, or report on a specific topic

• Draft a rough script for a video or podcast episode

• Brainstorm workshop titles, course names, or event themes

• Create rough first drafts you can quickly edit and personalize

• Mock up basic ad copy, sales pages, or marketing emails

AI embodies the old adage of progress, not perfection (though it’s pretty good at polishing things up!)

4. Protect Your Deep Work Time: The irony of AI is this: if you’re not careful, it can become a rabbit hole. You want it to make more time for you, not less. Make sure to:

• Close AI apps when you’re doing deep, human-only work

• Batch your AI tasks — use it to prep content, brainstorm ideas, or automate admin once, not all day long

5. Play, Experiment, Stay Human: AI is a tool, but you’re the director. The more specific your prompts/questions, the better the results:

• On the mobile app: upload your resume and use the audio feature to have it ask you interview questions. You’ll respond as though you were talking to another person and the conversation will flow from there. Total game changer!

• Write personalized birthday poems (yes, really)

• Draft family trip itineraries based on your interests

• Brainstorm 50 weird side hustle ideas — just for fun

• Create book club discussion questions

• Outline a business plan based on goals, interests, and strengths

• Clean up custom code and CSS.

• Generate images — even logos!

11 Practical Ways to Use AI Right Now: (Quick, stealable examples you can use today)

1. Summarize your meetings → "Turn 4 pages of notes into 6 action items."

2. Draft first-pass emails → "Write a thank-you email after a client call."

3. Outline blog posts or articles → "Outline '5 Ways to Stay Motivated Working Remote.'"

4. Brainstorm marketing content → "10 post ideas for launching an eco-friendly coffee brand."

5. Prioritize your day → "Which 3 tasks should I tackle first if I have 2 hours?"

6. Build travel itineraries → "Plan a 3-day food and history trip to Charleston."

7. Organize project workflows → "Turn podcast launch notes into a timeline."

8. Create elevator pitches → "Summarize a social network for hobby gardeners."

9. Rewrite your resume → "Update bullets for a marketing manager job."

10. Generate creative prompts → "Give me 5 journal prompts about growth this year."

11. Generate a brand logo → “Create an elegant brand logo for a small, independent bakery that focus on catering for weddings.”

TL;DR: Use AI to make space — for work, life, creativity, and for what actually matters.