Lesson 5
Beyond code: using AI to work smarter every day
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Most of the value from AI comes from everyday tasks you already do.
Emails, reports, docs
Data, comparisons, trends
Learning, summaries, due diligence
Notes, planning, processes
Templates, workflows, SOPs
Tone, translation, clarity
Different tasks call for different tools. Here's a simple guide:
You don't need to pick one. Most professionals use a mix of tools depending on the task.
Your AI-powered writing assistant
Turn bullet points into polished emails in seconds.
- need to decline the vendor meeting - too busy this week - suggest next Tuesday instead - keep it friendly
Subject: Re: Vendor Meeting Hi Sarah, Thank you for setting this up. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it this week due to a packed schedule. Would next Tuesday at the same time work? I'd love to connect then. Best, [Your name]
Prompt: "Turn these bullet points into a professional but friendly email declining a meeting."
Turn rough notes into structured, professional documents.
Here are my notes from the client meeting with Acme Corp: - They want to launch in March, not April - Budget increased to $50K - Need mobile app first, web app later - CEO concerned about security - They loved the demo Turn this into a professional meeting summary with sections for Key Decisions, Action Items, and Next Steps.
In 10 seconds, you get a formatted document that would have taken 20 minutes to write.
Paste your draft and get instant, detailed feedback.
Review this email for clarity, grammar, and tone. Suggest specific improvements. Tell me if anything could be misinterpreted. [paste your draft here]
AI as your personal editor, available 24/7, never gets tired.
Same message, different tone. Incredibly useful for sensitive communications.
"I wanted to bring to your attention that the project timeline requires immediate revision due to recent scope changes."
"Hey, heads up, we need to adjust the timeline. The scope changed and we need to figure out new dates."
"I'd like to discuss an opportunity to revisit our timeline. With the recent scope adjustments, there may be ways to better align our delivery expectations."
"We need to revise the project timeline immediately. The scope changes impact our delivery date and we must realign by EOD Friday."
Prompt: "Rewrite this message in a [tone] tone."
Generate outlines, talking points, and speaker notes in seconds.
Create a 10-slide outline for a presentation about our Q4 results. Audience is the executive team. Include: - Revenue highlights - Customer growth metrics - Challenges faced - Q1 priorities For each slide, give me the title, 3-4 bullet points, and brief speaker notes.
This gets you 80% of the way. Add your specific data and personal insights for the final 20%.
Create reusable templates for things you write regularly.
Status, blockers, priorities for next week
Problem, solution, timeline, budget, team
Objectives, topics, time allocation, prep
Ask AI to create the template once. Then just fill in the blanks each time. Consistency + speed.
Making sense of numbers and information
Stop Googling formulas. Just describe what you need.
Write an Excel formula that calculates the running average of column B, but only counts non-empty cells. Put it in column C.
=AVERAGE(B$1:B1) Or for non-empty only: =AVERAGEIF(B$1:B1,"<>")
This works for Excel, Google Sheets, and any spreadsheet tool. Just specify which one you're using.
Paste a table of data and ask AI to find patterns.
Here's our monthly sales data for 6 products over Q3-Q4: [paste data table] What are the trends? Which products are growing fastest? Are there any anomalies or concerning patterns? Present findings with specific numbers.
You get instant analysis that would take an analyst hours. Great for quick sanity checks and first-pass insights.
Turn 50-page reports into 1-minute reads.
Summarize this report in 5 bullet points. Focus on: key findings, recommendations, and anything that requires immediate action. Flag anything that seems unusual or contradictory. [paste or upload document]
Turn complex decisions into clear comparison tables.
Compare these 3 project management tools for a 25-person marketing team: - Asana - Monday.com - ClickUp Compare on: pricing, ease of use, integrations, reporting, and mobile app quality. Create a comparison table with a recommendation.
Works for vendors, software, strategies, job candidates, office spaces, and any multi-option decision.
AI can suggest how to present your data visually.
I have monthly revenue data for 4 product lines over 2 years. What's the best chart type to show the trend and comparison?
Create a bar chart of this data using Google Sheets. Give me step-by-step instructions to build it.
AI can generate chart specifications, suggest visualization types, and even write the code to create them.
Your personal research assistant
Get explanations tailored to your level and perspective.
What is blockchain?
Explain blockchain to me like I'm a business executive, not a programmer. Focus on the business implications and potential use cases in supply chain management. Skip the cryptography details.
The key is telling AI your role and what you need to do with the information. It adjusts the explanation accordingly.
Contracts, policies, research papers: get to the point fast.
What are the 5 most important clauses? What are my obligations?
What changed from the previous version? What do I need to do differently?
What's the main finding? How strong is the evidence? Any limitations?
Always verify critical details in the original document. AI summaries are a starting point, not a replacement for reading key sections.
Use AI to stress-test your decisions and find blind spots.
Here's a description of a company we're considering as a vendor: [paste company info] What questions should I be asking that I might not have thought of? What are potential red flags? What due diligence steps would you recommend?
AI won't make the decision for you, but it will make sure you've thought about the right questions.
Get up to speed on topics that have changed since you last looked.
Summarize the key changes in GDPR compliance requirements since 2023. What do I need to know as a marketing director?
What are the most important changes in Google Analytics in the last 6 months? Focus on features that affect marketing reporting.
Remember: AI knowledge has a cutoff date. For very recent changes, verify with official sources.
Systems that save you hours
Transform raw meeting notes into structured, actionable summaries.
Turn these meeting notes into a structured summary: [paste raw notes] Include sections for: - Key decisions made - Action items (with owner and deadline) - Open questions - Next meeting agenda items
Record meetings (with consent), transcribe, then use this prompt. You'll never lose an action item again.
Break down big projects into manageable plans.
Break down this project into phases with milestones: Project: Redesign our company website Timeline: 3 months Team: 2 designers, 1 developer, 1 project manager Include estimated effort per phase, dependencies, and potential risks with mitigation strategies.
This gives you a solid first draft. Adjust based on your team's specific capabilities and constraints.
Capture institutional knowledge before it walks out the door.
Document the steps for our client onboarding process. Write it so a new team member could follow it on their first day. Include: - Step-by-step instructions - Who is responsible for each step - Common pitfalls and how to avoid them - Links/tools needed (I'll fill these in)
Let AI help you sort through an overwhelming to-do list.
Here are my 15 tasks for this week: [list your tasks] Help me prioritize by impact and urgency. Suggest what I should delegate. Suggest what I should defer to next week. Block out a rough schedule for the top priorities.
AI can map your tasks into a 2x2 matrix: high impact/low effort (do first), high impact/high effort (schedule), low impact/low effort (delegate), low impact/high effort (drop).
AI can suggest a realistic daily schedule based on task duration and your energy patterns.
Build templates once, use them forever.
Checklist from first call to project kickoff
Status, metrics, blockers, next steps
What happened, why, how to prevent it
Evaluation criteria, scoring guide
Costs, justification, ROI projection
Timeline, vendors, logistics checklist
Prompt: "Create a reusable template for [process]. Include all the sections someone would need to fill in."
Which AI tool for which task
| Task Type | Best Tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quick questions, brainstorming | ChatGPT or Claude.ai | Fast, conversational, no setup |
| Long documents, research | Claude.ai Projects | Upload files, persistent context |
| Writing & editing | Claude.ai | Large context window, strong writing |
| Building software | Claude Code | Reads/writes files, runs commands |
| Data analysis | ChatGPT (Code Interpreter) or Claude.ai | Can run Python, process CSVs |
| Multi-step file work | Claude Code | Terminal access, project awareness |
Be thoughtful about what you share with AI tools.
Most AI tools process but don't store your data by default. But company policies may have additional restrictions.
ChatGPT free, Claude.ai free. Great for occasional use. Limited messages per day.
ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo), Claude Pro ($20/mo), Claude Max ($100/mo). Unlimited or higher limits.
Pay per message. Claude Code uses the API. Typical cost: $5-50/month depending on usage.
Start with free tiers. Upgrade when you hit limits regularly. Most daily tasks work fine with basic paid plans.
Pick ONE task from today's lesson. Try it this week.
Draft an email using AI. Compare it to what you'd write manually.
Summarize a long document or report you've been putting off.
Create a template for a task you do weekly.
The habit starts with one task. Don't try to change everything at once.
You're not being replaced by AI. You're becoming more effective with AI.
The gap between "AI-assisted" and "not" will only grow. The professionals who learn to work with AI now will have a significant advantage.
AI saves you 30 minutes a day on writing, analysis, and organization.
AI handles the routine so you can focus on strategy, relationships, and creative work.
Lesson 5
Quick tasks & questions
Documents & research
Building & files
Start with one task. Build from there.