This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jessica Camilleri-Shelton, a 35-year-old copy and content writer based in the UK. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
Since implementing AI into my workflow about two and a half years ago, my career and life have transformed.
I have many priorities to juggle throughout the day: I’m a freelance copywriter, content writer, and educational content creator. I’m also working on building my own business where I teach professionals how to “future-proof” their careers using AI.
In the past six months alone, I’ve doubled my income from copywriting while producing what I consider to be stronger work. I’ve also freed up two eight-hour workdays a week, which used to be dedicated to copywriting, to build my business and social media presence. Additionally, I grew my TikTok to 20,000 followers in eight weeks by using AI to help plan and script content.
The key to using AI effectively is to understand each AI model’s superpower and use it accordingly. These are the top five AI tools that save me time, money, and energy.
1. ChatGPT has become somewhat of a personal assistant in my work and personal life
I use ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) to plan my day and prioritize tasks so that I can hit all of my daily goals. I might use the following prompt:
“Act as my personal assistant and help me plan my day. Ask me clarifying questions to understand my tasks, priorities (personal and work), meetings, and energy level. Make me a simple schedule that’s realistic, leaves buffer time, and groups things so I don’t keep switching context. Point out anything I could skip, delegate, or automate. Finish with my top 3 must-dos and one small tip to make the day easier.”
It also serves as a great thought partner to bounce ideas off of and brainstorm new ideas for my business strategy. In my personal life, I use it to help me plan holidays, come up with recipes, and even manage my investment portfolio.
Before I started using ChatGPT, I was a chronic procrastinator because I’d look at a looming task and it just felt so mammoth and insurmountable. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Nowadays, I prompt ChatGPT to break the task down into one tiny step at a time. Then, I follow that up by asking that every time I reply with “done”, it feeds me the next step. It really helps me get out of my own way.
It can even be a mindset coach, giving me a little pep talk or kick-in-the-butt to get moving when I ask for it. I honestly credit ChatGPT with my ability to build a business on the side of all my freelance jobs.
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2. Claude is my creative writing partner
While I think ChatGPT produces amazing writing, I think Claude produces even better writing with much less prompting and iteration. Depending on my copywriting needs, I fluctuate between buying the Pro version ($17/month) and Max ($100/month). It has been incredibly helpful for scripting social media videos, brainstorming powerful hooks, and writing my business’s weekly newsletter.
The AI workflow I use to write my newsletter produces something that’s even better than I could have produced as a copywriter on my own three years ago. I will send Claude an idea for my next newsletter alongside past editions, then ask it to mimic my tone of voice and organize my scattered ideas into a newsletter draft.
I also prompt Claude to ask me for personal anecdotes that I can infuse into the copy to add my personal touch.
3. Perplexity is a great addition to the triad
I use Perplexity less than Claude and ChatGPT, so I’m not familiar with all of its features. However, I use it to research topics for my social media, business, newsletter, or just to keep up with AI news.
For example, when I come up with an idea for a newsletter topic, I use Perplexity to find me the most relevant research with accurate citations on the topic.
4. Fathom helps me stay present with clients
I spend much of my day on Zoom calls with clients, and it’s important for me to be as present as possible rather than taking frantic notes during the call.
Fathom records the meeting’s video and audio, produces a transcript, and summarizes the main action items into a to-do list for me. It saves me so much time not having to go through the meeting transcript afterward to write down everything.
5. Canva is not only for graphic design
I pay $120 annually for Canva Pro, which offers image editing capabilities, such as magic resize and background remover, for easy graphic design.
I’ve even connected ChatGPT with Canva, which allows me to generate original design concepts and produce images that can be opened in Canva. It helps me avoid starting from a blank slate when creating a new graphic.
I also use Canva Sheets, which marries AI with spreadsheets, to plan social media posts across different platforms, including their captions, visuals, live links, and more.
I’ve set boundaries on how I use AI
AI is here to stay, so instead of ignoring it and hoping it doesn’t replace us at work, we need to work alongside it. But I set clear boundaries around how I use it.
I’m conscious about privacy, so I avoid sharing sensitive or personal information with AI. The line is becoming blurred as AI becomes more of my daily life, but I try to be deliberate about what I share. I’ll also never rely on it for mental health support in place of professional advice. Finally, I fact-check AI outputs and add my own judgment, expertise, and creativity.
AI updates are coming out every day, and I know how confusing it can be. I suggest focusing on one or two areas of AI that interest you and will pay the most dividends on your time, whether that be large language models like ChatGPT, image and video generation, automation, or agents.
Even just mastering a few skills has changed my life.
Do you have a story to share about how using AI has transformed your career? If so, please email the reporter at [email protected].
