2025/04/01 – e.008
Everyone and their dog seems to have an opinion about AI these days. Most of it is either overly hyped, painfully abstract, or clearly written by someone who doesn’t actually use the tools they’re talking about.
So today, I figured I’d do something a little different—pull back the curtain and show you how I actually use AI in my day-to-day work. The good stuff, the frustrating bits, and even the downright weird.
I’m not pitching anything. No affiliate links. No tools of the week. Just a peek into my real workflow as someone running a growing side business, managing a demanding day job, and trying to keep his sanity intact while juggling it all.
Let’s get into it.
🧠 The Good: Where AI Saves My Sanity
Let’s start with the wins. Because when AI works, it really works.
1. Brainstorming Headlines, Hooks, and Titles
I use AI to riff on ideas when I’m staring at a blank screen. Whether I’m writing a newsletter, a blog post, or a short-form video script, I’ll often toss in a rough idea and ask it to generate 10 headline variations.
No, I don’t use them word-for-word. But they kickstart my thinking.
2. Creating First Drafts (That Don’t Suck)
When I’m short on time—or just don’t feel like writing from scratch—I’ll give ChatGPT or Claude a few bullets and say, “Draft this like I’m talking to a smart friend who hates corporate jargon.”
It doesn’t always nail it, but it gets me to 70–80% fast. That’s usually enough to shift into editing mode, which I find way easier than starting from zero.
3. Summarizing Long Stuff
I read a lot of long technical documents, strategy PDFs, and meeting transcripts. AI makes short work of turning those into TL;DRs. Sometimes I’ll even ask it to give me a summary as a set of talking points I can reuse elsewhere.
That alone saves me hours each week.
4. Idea Expansion
I keep a swipe file of ideas. Sometimes it’s just a phrase or a sentence. I’ll toss one into AI and say, “Expand this into a paragraph that could anchor a post.” Nine times out of ten, it gives me something useful. Or at least usable.
5. Code Review, Debugging, and Documentation
This one’s huge for me. I use AI constantly for software development tasks—especially reviewing team work and quickly explaining their code.
If I hit a snag in logic or syntax, I’ll paste the code into ChatGPT and ask, “What’s wrong here?” or “Can you explain this like I’m five?” It’s helped me catch bugs faster, understand legacy spaghetti, and even refactor things I’d otherwise avoid.
And when I’m documenting code for the team or onboarding new devs, AI makes it easy to write explanations that are clear, concise, and helpful.
It’s not perfect, but it’s like having a tireless junior dev on standby – minus the Slack messages and energy drinks.
🚨 The Bad: Where AI Drops the Ball
Now for the parts that don’t get talked about enough. AI is a tool—not a miracle. And like any tool, it has limits.
1. Hallucinations and Half-Truths
I’ve had it confidently tell me things that were totally wrong. Not just off by a bit—completely made-up. If I wasn’t already familiar with the topic, I might’ve believed it.
Lesson? Always double-check the facts. Especially if you’re publishing publicly.
2. Overediting the Human Out
Sometimes I’ll run my own writing through AI just to tighten it up. But more often than not, it sterilizes the tone. I end up sounding like a generic LinkedIn bot or a TED Talk clone.
That’s not me. So I back off and trust my own voice more now. AI is great at editing for clarity, but not for personality.
3. Too Much “Help”
There’s a fine line between AI assisting you and just adding noise. I’ve tried using it to outline my week, prioritize tasks, or draft replies—and I ended up spending more time cleaning up its work than just doing it myself.
Efficiency is key. If I need to micromanage the AI, it’s not helping.
🧪 The Weird: Unexpected (and Occasionally Hilarious) Uses
Alright, here’s where it gets fun. These aren’t “best practices”—just oddball ways I’ve used AI recently.
1. Recipe Rescues
I had some random ingredients left in the fridge one night—bacon, goat cheese, and a bag of spinach. I asked ChatGPT, “What can I make with this that doesn’t suck?”
It came back with a killer warm spinach salad idea that actually turned out great. Total surprise.
2. Roleplaying Difficult Conversations
I had a tough conversation coming up with a colleague. Instead of rehearsing it in my head a hundred times, I used ChatGPT to roleplay the other person.
I gave it a bit of context and said, “Pretend you’re them. Push back. Challenge me.” It wasn’t perfect, but it helped me prep for reactions I might not have considered.
3. Fake Headlines for a Fake Newsletter
One night, just for kicks, I asked it to create 10 newsletter titles for a fictional publication called The Unfiltered Solopreneur.
They were so good I almost created the thing. (Don’t tempt me.)
4. Asking Philosophical Questions at 2AM
I’ve asked AI things like “Why do I get bored so easily?” or “Should I feel guilty about wanting to work less?”
It’s not therapy, but the replies are often thoughtful enough to make me pause and reflect. Sometimes it’s just the act of asking that helps.
💡 What It All Means For You
Here’s the bottom line: AI can absolutely help you save time, work smarter, and stay on track—but only if you know what you want it to do.
It doesn’t think for you. It doesn’t replace strategy. It’s not going to build your business while you binge Netflix. (Sorry.)
But it is an incredible tool for:
- Sparking new ideas
- Speeding up repetitive work
- Acting as a sounding board
- Replacing low-level grunt work with high-level leverage
It’s like having an assistant who works 24/7 and never complains—but who also might randomly make up facts, use words you’d never say, or suggest something totally tone-deaf.
So no, I haven’t “replaced myself” with AI.
I’ve just found smarter ways to extend myself—without burning out.
🧭 Your Turn
Now I’m curious:
- How are you actually using AI in your day-to-day?
- Got any tools you love—or disasters you’ve survived?
- Ever asked ChatGPT something totally weird just to see what would happen?
Let me know in the comments. I’d love to feature a few reader stories in an upcoming edition—especially the offbeat ones.
Until next time, keep working smarter… but keep it real.
