Crafting a Productive Routine: Insights from AI Assistance
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Chapter 1: A Lazy Person's Path to an Effective Routine
Using AI to shape my daily agenda has been an eye-opening experience. For someone who's absorbed countless articles on optimal morning rituals, I could easily claim expertise in the art of rising early.
The morning enthusiasts have a point about the benefits of kicking off the day on a positive note. However, I don't require elaborate practices, like sipping lemon water at dawn, to boost my productivity. My goal was straightforward: to weave a writing habit into my existing work commitments.
Initially, I attempted to allocate "mornings" for writing, but that vague designation proved insufficient for consistent adherence. Inspired by James Clear, I set out to formulate a detailed outline of my daily life.
Section 1.1: AI and My Ideal Day
With the burgeoning landscape of open-source AI tools, a variety of specialized applications are emerging, from recruitment to note-taking, catering to specific tasks. Many come with costs or features that exceed my needs. A one-time scheduling app was not on my wish list.
Then came ChatGPT!
My request was simple:
“Create a daily schedule that includes morning coffee with productive reading, 15 minutes of meditation, 1-2 hours of writing, and an hour of exercise around midday, followed by 8 hours of work in 2-3 hour segments.”
Here’s what it suggested:
Morning:
- 7:00 AM — Wake up
- 7:15 AM — Morning coffee and productive reading (30 minutes)
- 7:45 AM — Meditation (15 minutes)
- 8:00 AM — Writing (1–2 hours)
Midday:
- 10:00 AM — Break
- 10:30 AM — Work session 1 (2 hours)
- 12:30 PM — Lunch break
Afternoon:
- 1:30 PM — Exercise (1 hour)
- 2:30 PM — Break
- 3:00 PM — Work session 2 (2–3 hours)
Evening:
- 6:30 PM — Break/Dinner
- 7:30 PM — Work session 3 (2 hours)
- 9:30 PM — Wind down activities
- 10:00 PM — Bedtime
ChatGPT recognized the human need for meals, breaks, and rest. Perfect!
Section 1.2: Testing the Routine's Flexibility
I became curious about whether this schedule could support someone balancing a full-time job and a child engaged in after-school activities. My next prompt was something like this:
“Create a daily schedule with morning coffee and productive reading, 15 minutes of meditation, and an hour of exercise before work. My fixed work hours are 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM with a 30-minute lunch. Include a 2-hour grocery trip during the week and note that I drive my child to piano lessons at 6 PM on Wednesdays, which takes 15 minutes each way.”
The resulting plan had its shortcomings, but ChatGPT issued a cautionary note: “This schedule is quite packed; ensure you're taking care of yourself and getting enough rest.”
With one child and two activities, if only the AI knew our reality!
Chapter 2: Reflections on the AI Experience
The final outcome: A machine-generated schedule that works for me, although the more intricate attempt fell short. ChatGPT may not yet be a go-to scheduling tool, but it provided valuable insights.
- Human Complexity vs. Machine Logic: Despite its advanced capabilities, AI struggled to navigate the intricacies of human daily life. We manage to juggle numerous responsibilities, often pushing ourselves to the brink.
- Understanding Busyness: ChatGPT labeled the schedule for one child as "packed," a term that raises questions about its programming. While it accurately described a busy day, it pales in comparison to the reality many of us face.
- The Nature of Human Busyness: My experience left me pondering the hectic pace of life we all seem to accept as normal. In our quest for productivity, we often fill our schedules to the brim, neglecting to question why we’ve embraced such chaos.
Thanks to ChatGPT, I've acquired a manageable schedule that allows me to juggle my part-time writing role without feeling overwhelmed. Phone reminders now help me transition between tasks seamlessly.
And rest assured, AI is not poised to take over the world just yet—at least not until it masters multitasking as adeptly as we do.
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