MMarketing Against The Grain
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27 March 2025

This AI Workflow Made Me 10X More Productive

3Frameworks
6Insights

Frameworks in this episode

Productivity5 steps

Biweekly Momentum Driver

Review shipped work, missed commitments, and the next two-week promise

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Productivity7 steps

Project AI Assistant

Turn project knowledge into a context-rich strategic collaborator

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Leadership5 steps

Weekly Blocker Clearance

Remove every momentum-killing project obstacle within one week

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 1

Myth Buster14:00

The Project Assistant Still Needs Manual Maintenance

The workflow is useful but not fully automated. New material must be uploaded repeatedly, and users must invest effort in designing templates and instructions before the assistant can return dependable work in the desired form.

  • Project data is not automatically kept current
  • Users must remember to upload new material
  • Templates require deliberate design work
  • Instructions strongly affect output quality

“It would be much better if the data was dynamically ingested, right, like so I didn't have to continue to remember to upload all this…”

Host · 14:00

“the templates really matter. And so you do have a little bit of work to do where you want to create these templates”

Host · 14:30
#limitations#automation#data ingestion#prompting

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take00:30

Why Simple AI Workflows Beat Flashy Social-Media Demos

The host argues that many workers are distracted by impressive AI demonstrations while overlooking simple applications that can materially improve everyday work. Practical value comes from embedding AI into routine knowledge workflows rather than pursuing novelty for its own sake.

  • Flashy demonstrations can distract from useful everyday applications
  • Simple AI setups can deliver substantial workplace impact
  • Adoption quality matters more than apparent technical sophistication

“it's easy to get distracted by all of the flashy demos that are happening across social media.”

Host · 00:30

“most people still are not using AI in the most simplistic way that could be very, very impactful for the way they work.”

Host · 00:30
#ai adoption#productivity#workflow

Explainer· 1

Explainer04:00

AI Makes Your Existing Business Data Newly Valuable

AI changes the utility of information organizations already possess. Documents, transcripts, and other structured or unstructured material can now be queried and synthesized, allowing previously fragmented knowledge to support decisions and project execution.

  • Existing information can become more usable through AI
  • Structured and unstructured data both contribute useful context
  • Organizations should extract value from current data before chasing advanced use cases

“It's all of this information that we have had forever becomes way more valuable and usable because of AI.”

Host · 04:00

“Am I really getting the maximum amount out of the structure unstructured data I have before you move on to other use cases?”

Host · 04:30
#business data#knowledge management#ai adoption

Tool· 1

Tool13:30

Choose an AI Platform by Its Context and File Support

The host prefers ChatGPT for this use case because platform differences affect the amount and type of project context that can be supplied. At the time of recording, Claude's smaller context and lack of Google Slides uploads were cited as practical constraints, while Gemini Gems was presented as another option.

  • Compare context-window constraints before selecting a platform
  • Check support for the document formats your project uses
  • ChatGPT and Gemini Gems were presented as viable options
  • Capabilities reflect the time of recording and may change

“So context window Claude projects the context window is small and it doesn't have access to you're not able to upload Google Slides As of…”

Host · 13:30

“That's why I use chatgpt, Gemini and chatgpt similar context Windows. You can use Gemini gems as well”

Host · 14:00
#chatgpt#claude#gemini#ai tools

Takeaway· 2

Takeaway05:00

Recover the Context Lost When You Miss Meetings

Meeting assistants and shared transcripts can preserve information from sessions a leader cannot attend. Instead of relying on a colleague's abbreviated recap, the full notes or transcript provide a richer record of decisions, concerns, and project developments.

  • Send meeting assistants to sessions you cannot attend
  • Ask teammates to share captured notes or transcripts
  • Use complete records to reduce gaps in project understanding

“Now you can have the full picture, because even if you can't attend the meetings, you can get the context, get the meeting transcript and…”

Host · 05:30
#meetings#transcripts#remote work#knowledge capture
Takeaway07:00

Pair External Research With Internal Company Knowledge

External research becomes more useful when evaluated alongside internal project information. The host illustrates this with industry research on SaaS discounting, which could then inform decisions using both market patterns and company-specific context.

  • Use deep research to capture relevant external evidence
  • Combine industry findings with internal plans and data
  • Store focused research where it can inform later decisions

“deep research, to capture external information that you can give to your project. AI assistant to pair with your internal information.”

Host · 07:00

“So parent, external research, which are internal, is really powerful and can be done really easy through the project AI assistant.”

Host · 07:30
#deep research#competitive intelligence#saas#decision making