Use this playbook to learn how to automate your work with AI, to cut busywork, focus on high-value work and increase productivity.
TL;DR
- Track your time drains for 1 week → pick 3 to automate.
- Start with: scheduling, inbox triage, meeting notes, daily plan, and weekly reports.
- Use an automation hub (Zapier/Make), your existing tools (Calendar, Gmail/Outlook, Slack), and an AI assistant to summarize, draft, and decide.
- Measure: minutes saved per week, fewer manual touches, faster cycle time.
Why this matters
Every team loses hours to hidden “tax” tasks: copy-pasting data, chasing scheduling emails, rewriting updates, and turning meetings into tasks. AI workflow automation removes these repetitive touches and gives you back focus hours. With consistent use, the benefits compound.
See also: https://bobolink.ai/time-management-strategies-for-professionals/ and https://bobolink.ai/essential-work-habits-professionals/
Step 1 — Run a 60-minute Automation Audit
Log a normal workday. Highlight tasks that are:
- Repetitive
- Rules-based
- Copy-paste between apps
Typical time sinks:
- Back-and-forth scheduling
- Inbox triage + follow-ups
- Creating/assigning tasks after meetings
- Status updates and weekly reports
- Moving data between sheets ↔ CRM/PM tools
Prioritize with a quick score:
Impact (1–3) × Frequency (1–3) ÷ Effort (1–3).
Pick your top 3 to automate.
Step 2 — Keep the stack simple
Start with tools you already use:
- Automation hub: Zapier or Make
- Calendar & meetings: Google/Outlook, Zoom/Meet, Calendly
- Email: Gmail or Outlook (filters/labels + AI drafting)
- Docs/notes: Notion or Google Docs
- Tasks/projects: Asana, Trello, Jira, ClickUp, or Todoist
- AI assistant: ChatGPT (summaries, drafts, decision support)
You don’t need new software—connect your current tools first.
Step 3 — Five high-ROI automations
1) Zero-friction scheduling + auto-logging
Goal: Stop email ping-pong and keep a clean history.
Flow (Zapier/Make):
When someone books via Calendly →
- Add event to Calendar (with Zoom/Meet).
- Send confirmation + agenda request by email/Slack.
- Create a “Meeting” page in Notion (or a task in Asana) with date, attendees, and goal.
AI helper prompt:
“Draft a 3-bullet agenda request and friendly confirmation for a 30-min call with {Name}. Include: ‘Reply with anything you want to cover.’ Keep under 80 words.”
2) Inbox triage + smart follow-ups
Goal: Reduce manual sorting and missed replies.
Setup:
- Create labels/filters for clients, internal, invoices, newsletters.
- Auto-label newsletters as “Read Later.”
Flow:
When an email with label Client arrives →
- Append note in CRM/Notion.
- If it contains “proposal/quote/next steps,” create a task in PM tool.
- If no reply in 48h, draft a follow-up for approval.
AI helper prompt:
“Summarize this thread in 5 bullets. Extract open questions, deadlines, and commitments. Suggest a 3-sentence reply with one clear next step.”
3) Daily plan autopilot (Top 3 outcomes)
Goal: Start each day with a clear plan.
Flow (8:00 daily):
- Pull today’s meetings from Calendar.
- Pull urgent/overdue tasks from PM tool.
- AI generates a one-page plan with:
- Top 3 outcomes (time-boxed)
- Meetings + prep bullets
- Two 25-min focus blocks
- One 15-min admin batch
AI helper prompt:
“Given these tasks and events, propose a 6-hour plan with Top 3 outcomes, focus blocks, and buffer time. Keep it achievable.”
4) Meetings → notes → action items
Goal: Capture decisions and tasks automatically.
Flow:
After Zoom/Meet transcript →
- Save transcript to notes app.
- AI extracts decisions, risks, owners, deadlines.
- Create tasks in PM tool with due dates.
AI helper prompt:
“From this transcript: list decisions, risks, and action items in the format ‘Assignee – Task – Due – Priority – Notes.’”
5) Weekly status report (auto-compiled)
Goal: Share updates without rewriting.
Flow (Fri 3pm):
- Pull completed/in-progress items from PM tool.
- Pull metrics from sheet/analytics.
- AI drafts a “What moved / What’s next / Risks & asks” update.
- Post to Slack + email + Reports folder.
AI helper prompt:
“Turn these tasks + metrics into a stakeholder update (Wins / Progress vs plan / Risks & asks / Next week). 200–250 words.”
Step 4 — Guardrails: privacy & quality
Document flows in a short SOP (who, what, when, links).
Don’t paste sensitive data into consumer AI tools.
Keep a human-in-the-loop for client-facing content.
Save transcripts, drafts, and finals for traceability.
Step 5 — Prove ROI (simple metrics)
Track for 4 weeks:
Meeting quality (% action items completed)
Minutes saved/week
Manual touches per task (before vs after)
Response time to clients/internal
Cycle time from start → done
Step 6 — Roll out to the team
Review monthly; retire low-value automations.
Pilot with 2–3 motivated people.
Record short Looms for each flow.
Share templates (below).
Templates you can copy
| Candidate task | Impact (1–3) | Frequency (1–3) | Effort (1–3) | Score (I×F÷E) | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule intro calls | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9.0 | Alex | Live |
| Meeting notes → tasks | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3.0 | Priya | Build |
Daily “Plan for Today” Email
Subject: Your Plan for {Weekday}
One-minute review: What will I drop or delegate?
Top 3 outcomes: 1) … 2) … 3) …
Focus blocks: 10:00–10:30, 14:00–14:30
Meetings: times + prep bullets
Admin batch: 15 min at 16:30
Reusable AI Prompts
Weekly update: “Turn these tasks + metrics into a stakeholder update (Wins / Progress vs plan / Risks & asks / Next week). 200–250 words.”
Summarize & extract: “Summarize in 5 bullets. Extract decisions, risks, and action items with owners + due dates.”
Polish reply: “Improve tone: clear, concise, confident, friendly. ≤150 words. Include one CTA.”
FAQs
What’s the best first thing to automate?
Scheduling and meeting notes—they’re easy wins.
Do I need to code?
No. Start with no-code tools like Zapier or Make.
Will AI make mistakes?
Yes. Keep humans in the loop for anything client-facing.
30-Day Implementation Plan
Week 1: Audit + choose top 3 automations.
Week 2: Build scheduling & inbox triage flows.
Week 3: Add meeting notes → tasks + daily plan.
Week 4: Launch weekly report + review metrics.
