Course 1 - Module 5 - Lesson 1
Turn one repeated task into a step-by-step AI-assisted routine
Build Your First Little AI Routine
Start with one repeated task
Choose a task you have done several times and understand well enough to check. A weekly project update is a good example. Define the input, such as your own activity notes, and the output, such as a short update with progress, obstacles, and next steps.
Describe what success means before opening a chat: no invented progress, each obstacle has an owner, and the update takes less than ten minutes to prepare and review. A measurable finish keeps the routine from expanding into unrelated work.
Write down the sequence
A useful routine could be: collect notes, remove private details, ask the assistant to group them, check the draft against the notes, fill gaps yourself, and save the approved update. The assistant helps with organizing and drafting; you remain responsible for the underlying facts.
Suppose your notes say 'tested form; email delivery unconfirmed.' The update may say the form was tested, but it must not claim that emails arrived. Ask the assistant to put unresolved details under 'Questions' rather than turn them into completed work.
Test the routine on ordinary and awkward inputs
Try one normal week and one week with sparse notes. A routine that works only with perfect input will create extra work later. Add an instruction for missing dates or owners, and keep the original notes so you can trace each statement.
Time the whole process, including preparation and corrections. Compare it with writing the update yourself. Save only the steps that help, and repeat the same routine next week before deciding whether to add more tools or automate anything.
Tiny experiment
Map a weekly update into six steps from notes to approved draft. Run the steps on three invented notes, including one unresolved task.
Confidence check
Which step needs your judgment, and what evidence would show that the routine actually saved time?