How can AI tools like ChatGPT help us live with more ease?

Mindfulness Incubator’s mission is to help you live with more intention and ease. It often feels like life is rigged to drive busyness, stress, and overloaded schedules. That’s why we’re always looking for new ways to create space for what truly matters. 

Technology can sometimes feel like a foe in this journey, introducing endless interruptions, and the temptation of distraction. But technology can also be supportive of living more mindfully, and help us accomplish our goals more efficiently. We’ve talked about this in prior posts, like this one focused on the products, platforms and processes that help your family be more efficient. 

With all the recent buzz on ChatGPT and AI powered chatbots, we thought we’d kick the tires to see if there’s anything it can help take off our hands, so that we spend less time on the stuff we don’t want to be doing, and more time on what matters. 

What is ChatGPT?

If you ask ChatGPT what it is, it will tell you

“ChatGPT is a conversational AI model developed by OpenAI. It uses the transformer architecture and is trained on a large dataset of human-generated text. The model is capable of generating human-like responses to a wide range of questions and prompts, allowing it to participate in natural language conversations. ChatGPT is used in a variety of applications, including customer service, virtual assistants, and educational tools, among others.”

What are some of the interesting applications of these models to date?

While the possibilities seem endless, some of the coolest ways we’ve seen it applied so far include:

• Plotting movies, including creating a one-sheet, character summaries
• Writing ad scripts, like this one with Ryan Reynolds
• Breaking down complex tasks into simple steps
• Outlining papers, articles, including on technical topics
• Writing and debugging code 

Do you ever wonder if you’re getting the most out of new tools like ChatGPT? Looking for some fresh inspiration on how this kind of resource can be helpful for overworked, super busy folks like us, we figured we’d ask the source how we could benefit from the technology.

How can busy professionals benefit from AI powered tools?

We asked the question “How can busy professionals leverage AI to improve their quality of life?”

Here are some of the ideas that came back…

1. Personal Assistant - A personal assistant can help manage daily tasks and make your life easier. With virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, you can set reminders, make appointments, and get answers to questions, all hands-free. You can even use these personal assistants to order groceries, book a hotel, or turn off the lights, all with voice commands.
2. Virtual Health Coach - With a busy work schedule, it can be difficult to find time to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, virtual health coaches can help you keep track of your nutrition and fitness goals, providing personalized recommendations to help you stay on track. For example, you can use an app to track your daily food intake, set reminders for water and exercise, and get feedback from an AI-powered virtual coach.
3. Smart Home Devices - Smart home devices can help busy professionals save time and reduce stress by automating tasks that were once manual and time-consuming. For example, you can use smart lights to create a relaxing atmosphere, smart thermostats to manage the temperature in your home, and smart security systems to keep your home secure when you’re away. With these devices, you can control your home from your phone or tablet, making it easier to manage your home even when you’re away from it.
4. Time Management Tools - Time management is key to reducing stress and finding more ease in your daily life. AI-powered time management tools can help you prioritize tasks and manage your time more effectively. For example, you can use a time tracking tool to keep track of the time you spend on different tasks, and then use the data to make adjustments to your schedule.
5. Email Management - Managing email can be a source of stress for busy professionals. With AI-powered email tools, you can sort and categorize emails, flagging important messages and filtering out spam. This can help you prioritize your emails, allowing you to respond to the most important messages first. With AI-powered tools, you can also use natural language processing to respond to emails more quickly and efficiently, freeing up time for other tasks.

Case study…What are ChatGPT’s best productivity tips?

It turns out you can also mine these AI powered chatbots for some more specific tips in any range of areas, so we double clicked on it’s suggestion that it could help us with tips to manage time more effectively. So we asked for its best productivity tips, here’s what ChatGPT came back with…

1. Prioritize your tasks: Make a list of the most important tasks you need to complete and prioritize them based on their level of importance and urgency. This will help you focus your attention on what matters most and avoid wasting time on low-priority tasks. 
2. Eliminate distractions: Identify the distractions that are holding you back, such as social media, email, or interruptions from coworkers, and eliminate them as much as possible. This will help you focus and increase your productivity. 
3. Use technology to your advantage: Utilize technology, such as productivity apps and tools, to automate repetitive tasks and streamline your workflow. This will save you time and reduce stress. 
4. Take breaks: Regular breaks are important for your mental and physical health. Make sure to take short breaks throughout the day to recharge and refocus your mind. 
5. Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can negatively impact your productivity, mood, and overall health. Make sure you get enough sleep each night to feel refreshed and energized in the morning. 

You know what? We agree. This is a solid list, and each of these topics we’re written about before! If you want to dive deeper into any of those topics, check out the linked Mindfulness Incubator blog posts:

• On prioritizing: Morning Routines - The magic of starting your days off with intention
• On eliminating distractions and taking breaks - Better Focus, Better Breaks
• On using technology to your advantage - Platforms, Programs & Processes to organize your family life
• On getting enough sleep - Resilience 101 - Physical health: food, hydration, sleep and movement

How to try ChatGPT out for yourself…

While this area is still very much emerging, it’s always worth keeping an eye out for opportunities to make your life easier. 

Head over to ChatGPT and give it a spin. You might try:

• Create a project plan for… We test drove a home remodel project plan, home organization project plan, and children’s birthday party plan. All laid out a clear set of steps (even including celebrating when you’re done).
• Idea generation… We tried out brainstorms for new hobbies, ideas included photography, gardening, painting, cooking and so much more. 
• Problem solving… If you’re feeling stuck, try asking for ideas or recommendations. For example, we tried “I’m overwhelmed, what can I do?” The suggestions ranged from taking a break, to practicing mindfulness and connecting with others. 

We’re curious how you’ve been using ChatGPT and other tools, if you have ideas to share, let us know!