Building Your AI Skills: Smarter Prompts & Automation for Productivity

In the last two editions, we compared the top AI tools—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Deepseek—to help you find the best fit for your needs. But knowing which tool to use is just the first step. The real power of AI comes when you learn how to use it effectively.

Today, we’re diving into two essential skills:
1️⃣ Writing better prompts to get more accurate and useful AI responses.
2️⃣ Using AI for workflow automation to save time and boost productivity.

The best AI tool is the one that works for your specific needs, and knowing how to use them properly makes all the difference.

The Art of Prompting: How to Get Better AI Responses

AI models are only as good as the prompts you give them. A vague prompt will get you a generic response, but a well-structured one will produce detailed, high-quality, and actionable insights.

🔹 Example of a Weak vs. Strong Prompt:

❌ Weak: "Tell me about marketing."
✅ Strong: "Act as a senior marketing strategist. Create a 3-step content strategy for a startup in the AI industry, focusing on LinkedIn growth."

The second prompt works better because it gives AI a role, an objective, and context.

Three Prompting Techniques to Improve AI Results

🔹 1. Role-Based Prompting
AI performs better when you define its role.

Example:
"You are a SaaS growth expert. Outline a 5-step strategy to increase B2B subscriptions for a software product."

Best AI Tools for This:
✅ ChatGPT & Claude – Both excel at taking on specific roles and delivering structured responses.
🚫 Less Effective for Gemini – Gemini focuses more on factual accuracy and live research than strategic role-playing.

🔹 2. Chain-of-Thought Reasoning
For complex problems, ask AI to think step by step rather than providing a rushed answer.

Example:
"Explain machine learning like I’m five. Then, give me a technical breakdown for an engineer."

Best AI Tools for This:
✅ Claude & Gemini Advanced – Both are strong in logical reasoning and structured explanations.
🚫 Less Effective for Mistral & Llama – These models are powerful but less optimized for structured, multi-step reasoning.

🔹 3. Multi-Turn Refinement
Instead of accepting AI's first response, iterate to improve the output.

Example:
"That’s a good start, but can you make it more concise and add real-world examples?"

Best AI Tools for This:
✅ ChatGPT & Claude – Both adapt well to refinements and iterative discussions.
🚫 Less Effective for Gemini Basic – Gemini’s memory isn’t as strong for long, multi-turn interactions.

By using smarter prompts, you’ll immediately see better results, no matter which AI tool you use.

AI-Powered Workflow Automation: Saving Time & Boosting Productivity

AI isn’t just for answering questions—it can automate everyday tasks, freeing up time for deep work and decision-making.

What Can AI Automate?

✅ Drafting emails & reports (ChatGPT, Claude)
✅ Summarizing meetings & extracting key insights (Notion AI)
✅ Scheduling & reminders (Motion, Reclaim.ai)
✅ Automating workflows (Zapier + AI integrations)

Example: AI-Powered Content Creation Workflow

Let’s say you need to create and publish a LinkedIn post. AI can streamline the entire process:

1️⃣ Brainstorming – Ask ChatGPT for 10 LinkedIn post ideas on AI trends.
2️⃣ Drafting – Use Claude to write a structured post based on the best idea.
3️⃣ Editing & Refining – Use ChatGPT to rewrite it in a more engaging tone.
4️⃣ Scheduling – Use a tool like Buffer or Zapier to automate posting.

By using AI strategically, what used to take hours can now be done in minutes.

Which AI Tools Work Best for Automation?

✅ Zapier + ChatGPT – Automates emails, content creation, and data formatting.
✅ Notion AI – Organizes notes, meetings, and tasks.
✅ Motion AI – Schedules meetings dynamically based on your workload.
✅ Claude – Reads and summarizes large documents, making it great for research.

🚫 Less Effective for: Mistral & Llama – These models don’t integrate well with automation tools yet.

If you’re not using AI to streamline your work, you’re missing out on huge productivity gains.

Final Thoughts: AI is a Tool—Use it Wisely

The real value of AI isn’t just in what it can do, but how you use it. Better prompts lead to smarter, more useful responses, and automation frees up time for higher-value work.

Try refining your AI prompts this week. Explore small automations to simplify your workflow. And if you found this useful, share this newsletter with a friend who wants to make AI work for them.

🚀 Stay tuned for the next edition, where we’ll explore "The Biggest AI Myths: What’s Hype and What’s Real?"

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This version is more structured, informative, and tool-specific while still keeping it engaging. Let me know if you'd like any refinements! 🚀