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Newsletter issue #8: AI-Powered Productivity
Valeriya Patrei
September 25, 2023
As a productivity expert, I’ve been using AI tools every workday since the beginning of this year.
Whether you are new to it or already integrated it into your work life, this newsletter is for you.
Today, I will share my favourite AI tools and ChatGPT prompts.
Let’s dive in!
Read time: 6.3 minutes
Big Idea #1: Want to boost productivity? Use AI.
The following study is for those of you who haven’t incorporated AI into their daily lives yet.
A new study by the Harvard Business School and Wharton School found that employees who leveraged AI (specifically GPT-4) achieved 40% higher quality results than those who didn't.
Highlights:
In partnership with Boston Consulting Group, the research followed 758 consultants engaging in 18 realistic and complex tasks.
AI capabilities define a "jagged technological frontier," where some tasks are AI-friendly while others are not.
For tasks within the AI frontier, AI users were significantly more productive (12.2% more tasks and 25.1% faster) and produced higher quality results (over 40% higher quality).
Consultants at various skill levels benefited from AI augmentation, with below-average performers improving by 43% and above-average by 17%.
Outside the AI frontier, AI users were 19% less likely to produce correct solutions.
Bottom line:
AI cannot help you with everything.
But you should absolutely leverage it for the tasks where it can speed up and improve the quality of your output.
E.g. ideation, organization, research, problem-solving, mind-mapping, planning, zooming in & out, summarizing, editing - just to name a few.
Big Idea #2: AI tools we all need.
Today, there are AI tools for almost anything.
Here’s a list of just a fraction of all AI-powered productivity tools
(by functionality) to get you started:
Now, look at your schedule.
Where do you spend the most time?
Which tasks move the needle the most?
How can you leverage AI in those areas?
My current top picks:
Zoom AI Companion
Earlier this month Zoom rolled out a suite of generative AI tools, which are now accessible to paid Zoom subscribers without any extra charges.
Late for a meeting? Zoom can bring you up to speed by summarizing what you’ve missed thus far.
You can also prompt it to summarize a discussion in the chat and compose your replies.
Refer to this short YouTube video explaining these new features.
Grammarly’s generative AI assistance
Grammarly is not just a spell-check platform.
It assists you in tailoring emails and all your other written communication to your needs.
It can provide suggestions to make your writing more concise, professional, or even more casual, depending on your intended audience and communication style.
Otter AI
I previously mentioned it in my content and received numerous 'thank you's for introducing it. Thus, I am adding it to the list again.
This is a transcribing and summarizing tool. Dictate notes while on a walk or driving, and the app will transcribe them.
Fireflies AI
Excellent tool to transcribe and analyze your meetings, calls, and other virtual conversations.
Easy to integrate with Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams, and more.
ChatGPT
Bard AI is yet another amazing alternative I play with while travelling, but it is not supported in Canada at the moment.
ChatGPT can serve as your assistant, editor, brainstorming buddy, researcher, and more. It returns information and solutions quickly, saving hours compared to if you had to do it on your own.
You can use it to streamline research, problem-solving, and ideation processes, just to name a few.
Next, let’s explore some of the best ChatGPT prompts you can use to boost your productivity.
Big Idea #3: Start collecting effective ChatGPT prompts for various tasks.
LEARNING
Get a book summary (works only for those published before Sep 2021).
Prompt:
Summarize the book [enter name and author].
Give me 10 key ideas from this book in bullet-point format.Test your knowledge.
Prompt:
I am learning [insert subject].Ask me questions to test my knowledge and understanding of this subject.
Identify gaps in my knowledge and provide full answers to fill those gaps.
Use the 80/20 principle to approach learning a new subject.
Prompt:
I want to learn [insert subject or skill].What is the 20% of [insert subject or skill] I must focus on first that will yield 80% improvement in that area?
PROBLEM-SOLVING
Enhance your problem-solving skills.
Prompt:
[desc problem]Offer a few alternatives on how to solve the above problem.
Choose your top recommendation solution and break it down for me step-by-step with clear instructions on how to execute each step.
Brainstorm the pros and cons.
Prompt:
I am trying to decide if I should [insert decision].Give me a list of pros and cons that will help me decide why I should or should not do it.
Offer additional questions I must consider when making this decision.
Get mentorship from the world’s greatest leaders.
Prompt:
Assume you are [insert famous leader, e.g. Nelson Mandela, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Steve Jobs].
Consider my situation below and give feedback as if you were [leader’s name].[describe situation]
COMMUNICATION
Communicate more effectively.
Prompt:
Make my message below more concise and as clear as possible.
Suggest ways to make it even more impactful and inspiring for my team.[insert your message]
Enhance your message by using stories and metaphors.
Prompt:
I want to communicate the message below.Please suggest relatable stories and metaphors I can use to powerfully communicate this message and inspire my team.
[insert your message]
Deliver constructive feedback better.
Prompt:
I would like to deliver constructive feedback to an individual regarding the below issue.
Provide a structured way to deliver this feedback that demonstrates empathy while increasing the likelihood of a positive outcome.[describe issue]
Tiny Habit: Plan your day the day before.
You can look at it this way:
Level 0: You don’t plan your day at all.
Level 1: You plan your day in the morning.
Level 2: You plan your day the night before.
PRO Level: You plan your day the day before.
Go PRO:
Wake up ready to focus on your number 1 priority.
Eliminate decision-making fatigue.
Optimize your evening routine knowing how you need to show up tomorrow.
Overnight magic happens when you fall asleep knowing exactly what you need to focus on tomorrow. ✨
Try it.
The Productivist Question
Let me introduce you to the concept of second-order thinking.
Have you noticed that most decisions in life don’t have exclusively positive or negative outcomes?
They have both.
…But in a certain order.
Especially when it comes to health:
E.g. smoking, junk food, sweets, alcohol:
instant gratification
it feels good at the moment
(first-order thinking - positive)it has negative consequences later
(second-order thinking - negative)
E.g. exercising, cold plunges, working towards your dream:
delayed gratification
it does not feel great
(first-order thinking - negative)it feels so good later on in the future
(second-order thinking - positive)
As humans, we do have a bias toward instant gratification, thus by default, we make decisions based on first-order thinking.
I want to challenge you to ask these questions to think about the second order:
And then what?
What do the consequences look like in 10 days/months/years?
Things that are good for you are often first-order negative and second-order positive.
You will not be excited about your new training routine, it will be painful at first, but if you stick to it, you get to experience the benefits.
Second-order thinking is what differentiates high performers from the rest.
Until next week,
Valeriya
PS: What’s your most used AI tool for productivity? 💎
Two more ways I can help you:
Download your free copy of Success Secrets if you haven’t already.
If you want to work 1:1 with me, you can book a session here. Let’s get you your dream lifestyle.