"I Know I Should Use AI… But It’s Been Sitting on My To-Do List For Months”
You know AI is important.
You get it, and it’s been on your list for a while now.
But it hasn’t made it to the top—because when you’re firefighting day after day, sitting down to “learn AI” feels like a luxury you can’t afford.
And so, like most leaders I work with, you default to what you know:
Google searches
Rewriting sensitive emails two or three times to get the tone right
Trying to think strategically while task-switching all day
Telling yourself you’ll “block time” next week to figure it all out
But next week never comes.
And strategic work keeps getting bumped for urgent stuff—again.
You’re In a Classic Catch 22 Situation
If you’re an SME or ETA leader, time and energy are your most limited resources.
The work you want to do—thinking clearly, setting direction, making smart calls—gets squeezed out by the constant operational noise.
But there’s a reason that AI is the topic of the moment:
AI isn’t just a tool for your team or tech leads.
Used well, it’s a thinking partner that helps you buy back focus, clarity, and momentum.
And you don’t need to be an expert. You just need to try it once.
Try These 3 AI Prompts to Save 30–60 Minutes This Week
You don’t need a big setup. Something easy like ChatGPT will get you started.
If you’re using ChatGPT Plus, even better—you’ll get smarter results and can turn off chat history for privacy. But even the free version is fine to start with.
Here are 3 prompts SME/ETA leaders are using right now to cut through the noise:
1. Clear your head after a messy day
“Help me summarise the core issue behind [X] in one sentence. Then give me three actions to move forward.”
Perfect when your brain is fried and you need to reset for the next meeting or tomorrow’s strategy session. AI won’t solve the problem—but it helps you see it clearly again.
2. Draft a tricky leadership message
“Write a first draft of a Slack post or email explaining [change/decision], with a tone that’s direct but supportive.”
Especially useful for those awkward updates or moments when you’re trying to strike the right balance. It gives you something to work from in 60 seconds instead of staring at a blank screen. You can refine the tone to sound more like you with simple nudges like “make it like a friendly coffee conversation, skip the jargon.”
3. Reframe your priorities when everything feels urgent
“Rank these 5 priorities based on impact to EBITDA this quarter. Then give me a simple next step for the top 2.”
You’re not asking AI to decide for you—but to help you zoom out and see the landscape. One prompt. Ten seconds. Immediate mental clarity.
This Isn’t About Automation. It’s About Energy.
AI doesn’t replace leadership. It gives you back capacity so you can lead better.
If you’re overwhelmed, stuck in reactive mode, or struggling to make space for strategic work—then this is your reminder that AI is a game changer for personal productivity.
Try one of these this week.
See if you get 30 minutes back.
And if you do, just imagine what would shift if you made it a regular part of your leadership toolkit.
