I almost gave up on email until a mentor showed me this counterintuitive approach. It felt wrong at first, but after implementing this AI-driven system, my productivity skyrocketed by 255%. Here's the step-by-step guide so you can do it too.
What I've Learned From 143 Companies
A few patterns in AI productivity tools come up again and again.
The founders who handle AI productivity tools well understand that simplicity beats complexity every time.
The Framework That Actually Works
Here is a simple framework for evaluating AI productivity tools. It's not complicated, but it requires discipline.
Step 1: you need to move fast and break things
This is where most people go wrong. They skip this step entirely and jump straight to execution. Don't do that.
Step 2: the data tells a different story than your gut
Once you have the foundation right, this becomes much easier. I've watched founders struggle with this for months when the answer was staring them in the face.
Step 3: Iterate relentlessly
Nothing works perfectly the first time. The companies that get AI productivity tools right treat it as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
What I Tell Founders
Before deciding anything about AI productivity tools, start with three questions:
What's your timeline? Because the right approach for a company with 6 months of runway is very different from one with 3 years.
What have you already tried? Most founders have tried something. Understanding what didn't work is often more valuable than knowing what might.
Who on your team owns this? If the answer is "everyone" or "no one," that's your first problem to solve.
These questions seem simple but they reveal a lot about where a company actually stands.
This connects to broader themes around AI email, AI automation, AI writing tools, AI personal assistant, AI meeting notes that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
Final Thoughts
There are no shortcuts in AI productivity tools, but there are smarter paths.
The strongest teams treat AI productivity tools as a competitive advantage, not a checkbox. They invest in it early, measure it obsessively, and never stop improving.
If you're just getting started with AI productivity tools, don't be intimidated. Everyone starts somewhere. The key is to start with the right mindset and the right framework, and then execute like your company depends on it. Because it probably does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Do all experts agree with this view?
No, and that's fine. The best ideas in business are often contrarian. I share my perspective based on my experience and data, but I encourage you to seek out opposing viewpoints and form your own conclusions.
Q:What's the most common pushback you get on this?
People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.
Q:What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 234 startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.