Book 1 · Chapter 9: Your First AI-Powered Week
This page lays out a first AI-powered week, day by day, with a daily checkpoint sheet and the chapter's prompts.
This page assumes you've read the chapter. It hands you the tools, not the lessons.
First AI-Powered Week Plan
Before Monday
- 1Pick your tool (Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini) and sign in.
- 2Bookmark it or add the app to your home screen. Zero friction.
Monday: Have a Real Conversation
Get comfortable talking to AI about something that matters. A real task, not a test. Use CRAFT, and iterate instead of settling for the first response.
Checkpoint: Did this save me time compared to doing it from scratch? Is the result something I'd use after my own review and editing?
Tuesday: Write Something Real
Use the writing workflow (brief, draft, refine, own) for the most time-consuming piece of writing on your plate.
Checkpoint: Time yourself. How long did it take, versus the old way? Write both numbers down. That gap is your writing time savings.
Wednesday: Let AI Do Your Research
Use AI to prepare for something, analyze information, or make a decision. Then run the three-check verification: smell test, spot-check two claims, ask what's missing.
Checkpoint: Did this change how prepared I feel?
Thursday: Build Something Reusable
Create a reusable prompt for a task you do every week. Separate the fixed part from the variable part, refine it, and save it where you'll find it next week.
Checkpoint: If you use this template next week, will it save you time?
Friday: Review and Plan Forward
Reflect on what worked. Then pick three things to keep doing: one work task, one personal task, and one habit from Chapter 8.
Checkpoint: Write your three commitments down and start with them on Monday.
The 30-day check-in
- Time: How much time am I saving per week? Actually estimate it.
- Quality: Is the quality of my work better, not just faster?
- Scope: Am I using AI for more things than I planned?
- Confidence: Do I feel more confident getting what I need from AI?
- Balance: Am I using AI for personal life, not just work?
- The safety habits: Am I still verifying important output, checking privacy settings, reading before sending?
From the Your First AI-Powered Week section.
Daily Checkpoint Sheet
One quick check at the end of each day. Print one sheet for the week.
- Did this save me time compared to doing it from scratch?
- Is the result something I'd use after my own review and editing?
- Did this save me time compared to doing it from scratch?
- Is the result something I'd use after my own review and editing?
- Did this save me time compared to doing it from scratch?
- Is the result something I'd use after my own review and editing?
- Did this save me time compared to doing it from scratch?
- Is the result something I'd use after my own review and editing?
- Did this save me time compared to doing it from scratch?
- Is the result something I'd use after my own review and editing?
From the daily checkpoints section.
- Friday: the week-in-review prompt
I've been testing AI tools this week for both work and personal tasks. Here's what I tried each day: Monday: [what you did] Tuesday: [what you did] Wednesday: [what you did] Thursday: [what you did] What worked well: [your notes] What didn't work as well: [your notes] What surprised me: [your notes] Based on this, help me build a plan for next week. What should I keep doing? What should I try differently? And what's one new thing I should try that builds on what I learned this week?