It’s in the Way That You Use It: How AI Can Boost Your Productivity Without Replacing You

Being the music lover that I am, and a musician myself,  I usually have a song for every phrase I hear in everyday life.

When I hear a phrase or sentence fragment from someone, chances are a song lyric or melody comes to mind. My family jokes “of course you have a song for that!”

If you were alive in the 80s you may remember this song from 1986. Eric Clapton’ : “It’s in the way that you use it.”

This hook and title of this song express my thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

And while Eric Clapton wasn’t singing about artificial intelligence (AI), the sentiment couldn’t be more relevant today.

AI is everywhere—chatbots answering questions, tools that write emails, create images and videos, algorithms that predict what you’ll buy next.

And while the buzz around AI can sometimes feel overwhelming (or even a little dystopian), the reality is far simpler: AI is a tool.

Like a hammer or a paintbrush, its value depends entirely on how you use it.

The good news?

You don’t have to be a tech wizard to use AI effectively. You just need to focus on using it productively. This isn’t about AI replacing you. If you think that AI will be replacing you, it will be more likely those that use AI will be replacing you.

It’s about AI empowering you to work smarter, not harder. Boost your output and productivity and save time.

Here’s are some ideas to make it happen.

Change Your Mindset with AI and AI Frameworks

First things first: AI isn’t here to take your job. Sure, it can automate tasks and perform repetitive work with incredible speed, but it still needs you. Why? Because AI lacks the one thing that makes your work truly impactful: your human creativity and judgment.

Think of AI as a co-pilot or you are the editor-in-chief and AI is your editorial staff. It’s there to assist, not lead. You control the strategy, the vision, and the execution. AI just helps you get there faster.

For example:

• A writer uses ChatGPT to brainstorm content ideas or overcome writer’s block. But the writer is still the one shaping the story, adding nuance, and ensuring the message resonates with his readers.
• A marketer uses AI to analyze campaign performance and suggest optimizations. But the marketer decides which strategies to pursue based on the data.
• A project manager automates task assignments using AI-powered tools but remains responsible for timelines, team dynamics, and prioritization.
• A PPC specialist may use AI to research keyword search term ideas for an upcoming Google Ads campaign, prioritize them based on search volume and competition. Still, the specialist needs to bring in brand knowledge and select the relevant search terms.
• Software developers may want to generate code and CSS to help them develop faster, but still need to make custom tweaks to the code.

AI is not perfect, and it makes mistakes.

In every scenario, the human remains in charge. AI is just the engine revving up the process.

Identify Your “Productivity Pain Points”

Before you dive into using AI, take a moment to ask yourself: What are the tasks that slow me down the most? These are your productivity bottlenecks—the areas where AI can make an immediate impact.

Here are some common examples:

• Repetitive Admin Tasks: Scheduling meetings, managing email responses, or data entry.
• Time-Consuming Research: Gathering market data, analyzing trends, or summarizing complex information.
• Content Creation: Drafting emails, social media posts, or blog outlines.
• Customer Engagement: Handling FAQs, tracking leads, or managing CRM systems.

Once you’ve pinpointed your bottlenecks, you can start exploring AI tools that address those specific challenges.

Leverage AI to Amplify Your Strengths

AI doesn’t just save time—it amplifies your strengths. It gives you more bandwidth to focus on the parts of your work that truly matter.

Here’s how to use AI in practical ways:

1. Streamline Content Creation

Let’s face it: creating content can be a grind. Whether you’re drafting a blog post, a LinkedIn update, or a newsletter, staring at a blank screen can feel daunting. Enter AI.

Tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, or Writesonic can:

• Generate outlines for blog posts or presentations.
• Suggest catchy headlines or email subject lines.
• Write drafts that you can refine and personalize.

Example: Instead of spending hours brainstorming blog ideas, you can prompt ChatGPT with a simple query like, “What are the top 5 challenges in healthcare marketing?” In seconds, you’ll have a list to kickstart your process.

Another Example:  Your content or marketing specialist can grab content and create an insanely realistic podcast.  Listen below:

2. Automate Repetitive Work

Repetition is the enemy of creativity. If you’re spending your days copy-pasting, organizing spreadsheets, or sending routine emails, AI can take over.

AI-powered tools like Zapier, Grammarly, or HubSpot automate tasks such as:

• Following up with leads via personalized email sequences.
• Proofreading and optimizing written content.
• Syncing data between platforms.

Example: A marketer can set up automation in HubSpot to nurture leads with email workflows. Instead of manually tracking and following up with each contact, the AI does it for you—while you focus on strategy.

3. Supercharge Data Analysis

Data is everywhere, but making sense of it is another story. AI tools can process massive datasets, highlight patterns, and surface actionable insights faster than any human ever could.

Try tools like Google Analytics, Tableau, or even ChatGPT for:

• Analyzing marketing performance metrics.
• Identifying trends in customer behavior.
• Generating reports with clear visuals and summaries.

Example: Instead of manually combing through campaign data, you can ask AI to generate a report that shows which channels are driving the highest ROI.  If you’re bogged down creating dashboards and spreadsheets, AI help is huge for this, and can really enhance your reporting.

4. Level Up Customer Experience

AI-powered chatbots, like those of Intercom like those built with ChatGPT, aren’t just cool—they’re practical. They can handle FAQs, schedule appointments, and even provide personalized recommendations.

Example: A healthcare provider might implement an AI chatbot to answer common patient questions, like appointment availability or insurance coverage, freeing up staff to focus on more complex tasks.

Step Four: You Are In Charge (Don’t Let AI Lead You)

Remember, AI is a tool—it’s not perfect and can mistakes. It’s up to you to review, refine, and guide its output. Here’s how to stay in control:

• Always Review AI-Generated Content: AI can generate impressive drafts, but it doesn’t understand tone, nuance, or context like you do or other humans for that matter.
• Customize Automation Rules: Whether it’s email workflows or data syncing, make sure your automation reflects your specific goals and is easily repeated to save you time.
• Check for Bias: AI works based on data and input it’s been trained on. Always cross-check its recommendations to ensure they align with your brand values and audience, and are factual. Do your research to double-check links, references, and context.

Step Five: Embrace the “Eric Clapton Mindset”

AI’s impact boils down to one thing: how you use it. Just like Eric Clapton’s guitar didn’t make the music on its own, AI doesn’t deliver results on its own. It’s the user—you—who decides how to use the technology.

Here’s what that mindset looks like in practice:

• Use AI to amplify, not replace. Let it handle the mundane so you can focus on strategy and creativity.
• Treat AI as a partner, not a boss. It provides suggestions, but you make the final call.
• Experiment and iterate. The more you use AI, the better you’ll understand how to fine-tune it for your needs.

It’s in the Way That You Use It

AI is neither a magic wand nor a threat to your job. It’s just a tool—a powerful one, but a tool nonetheless. And like any tool, its value lies in how you use it.

If you lean into AI with a clear strategy, you’ll find that it doesn’t replace you—it makes you better. It speeds up your work, enhances your creativity, and gives you the freedom to focus on what really matters.

So go ahead. pick up that guitar (or AI tool). Experiment. Play around. Find your rhythm. Because when you use AI the right way, you’re not just more productive—you’re unstoppable.

Last Updated on December 10, 2024.