How I Use AI to Save My Sanity

Discover 5 simple, real-life ways to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Notion AI to stay organized, reduce overwhelm, and boost daily productivity—without complicated setups or technical skills.

You know that feeling — when your brain is buzzing with ideas, but nothing quite sticks? Or when you’re halfway through a creative project and suddenly everything feels... off? That’s the creative wall. And it’s real.

But AI isn’t just for automating to-do lists or summarizing meetings. It’s also a surprisingly helpful creative sidekick. When used well, it can help you get unstuck, stay inspired, and (finally) finish the things you start — whether you’re writing a book, designing content, or planning something big.

In this edition, I’m walking through the exact ways I use AI to get out of my own head and into flow. It’s not about shortcuts. It’s about creative clarity.

The Creative Wall is Real (and Normal): Creative work isn’t linear. One day you're inspired, the next you're staring at a blinking cursor.

AI can’t “be creative” for you — but it can help lower the cognitive load so you can access your best thinking faster. Whether it’s helping you outline a messy idea or brainstorm angles you hadn’t considered, AI removes friction. And that friction is often what kills momentum.

Common blockers AI can help with:

  • Idea overload → Use AI to prioritize and distill

  • Blank page syndrome → Use AI for jumping-off points

  • Mid-project confusion → Use AI to organize next steps

  • Self-doubt → Use AI to generate quick drafts and reduce the pressure

Prompt to Progress: Using AI to Start When You’re Stuck Let’s be honest: the hardest part is often starting. So instead of wrestling with perfectionism or procrastinating into oblivion, I use AI as a creative partner.

Here are prompts I often use (or recommend to clients):

For brainstorming:

“Give me 10 ways to explain [your idea] using metaphors from nature / sports / relationships.”

For writing:

“Help me write an outline for a blog post about [topic], in my voice. My tone is [describe tone: warm, educational, slightly witty].”

For breaking perfectionism:

“Write a very rough first draft of this email/post based on these three points: [points]. I’ll revise it later.”

For content planning:

“What are 5 content angles on [topic] that would appeal to [audience]?”

Let AI offer the raw material; you do the shaping.

How I Personally Use AI Mid-Creative Process

You don’t need a complex system. Here’s a real look at how I use AI when I’m stuck mid-creation:

Stage

Without AI

With AI

Brainstorming

Overthinking, too many ideas

Narrowed themes and creative formats suggested

Outlining

Messy notes, unclear direction

Clean structure from bullet-pointed thoughts

Drafting

Slow start, perfectionism creep

Rough draft output I can edit with fresh eyes

Refining

Fatigue, can't "hear" my tone

AI style checker + suggestions in my voice

This cycle repeats a lot in creative work. And with each pass, AI helps me get to clarity faster.

From Stuck to Shipped: AI to Finish Strong

Here’s how AI helps me push things across the finish line:

  • I use AI as a draft mirror: I ask it to identify where my tone drops or feels too generic.

  • I do final revisions with AI prompts like:

  • I let AI fact-check or source ideas when I need citations or quick reference info.

When you hit the 80% mark, the hardest part is staying motivated to finish. This is where AI is a finisher’s best friend.

Creative Clarity Isn’t Just for Writers

AI-assisted creativity works across fields. Here are a few real-world use cases I’ve seen lately:

Creative Type

How AI Helped

Designer

Brainstormed concepts for a new brand direction

Marketer

Created email sequences with warm, authentic tone

Coach / Consultant

Mapped out new frameworks visually

Nonfiction Author

Organized research into chapters

Entrepreneur

Outlined a pitch deck narrative

Whatever your medium, AI can be a second brain that reflects and refines your ideas.

Stay Inspired, Stay On Track: AI as a Creative Companion

Burnout often creeps in from feeling scattered or stuck. AI helps you:

  • Summarize where you left off

  • Generate to-do lists from messy thoughts

  • Track ideas you might otherwise forget

Favorite tools for this:

  • Notion AI → Keeps everything in one creative workspace

  • ChatGPT with custom instructions → Acts like a co-creator

  • Tactiq (for video meetings) → Captures and summarizes ideas in real time

🛎️ Pro tip: Use AI to create a "creativity dashboard" — a space where unfinished ideas live, so you always have something to come back to.

Goal

Prompt Idea

Generate new ideas

“List 7 surprising angles on [topic] for [audience type].”

Regain focus

“What are the 3 most essential parts of this idea?”

Reignite enthusiasm

“Summarize this idea in a way that excites my ideal reader.”

Get unstuck mid-draft

“Rewrite this paragraph more clearly, keeping a friendly tone.”

Refine and elevate tone

“Give me 3 options to say this with more warmth and clarity.”

Final Takeaway:

Creativity isn’t a solo sport — and it doesn’t need to be slow or painful. The right AI tools can act like a collaborator who listens, organizes, and sparks your thinking — without ever touching your vision.

Small Daily Wins That Make a Big Difference

Let’s be real: AI doesn’t need to change your whole life to be worth it.
It just needs to make your Tuesday afternoon easier.

While some people are out there using ChatGPT to write screenplays or run businesses in their sleep, I’m using it to stay a little more sane in the middle of a workday whirlwind. No intense prompts. No complicated setups. Just a few 3-minute wins that help me stay focused, feel less overwhelmed, and actually get stuff done.

Here are 5 ways AI quietly helps me show up, think clearly, and stop drowning in digital noise — and how it can do the same for you.

✅ 1. Turning Brain Dump Into Clarity

Tool: ChatGPT
What I do: I paste in a mess of thoughts, scattered ideas, or a voice-to-text ramble and ask:

“Can you turn this into a clear outline or to-do list?”

Why it works:
Sometimes I don’t need new ideas — I just need my ideas cleaned up and organized. This is how I declutter my brain in five minutes flat.

✅ 2. Prepping for Conversations & Meetings

Tool: Notion AI or ChatGPT
What I do: I copy in recent notes, client messages, or even LinkedIn comments and ask:

“Summarize this in 3 key points I should focus on before I reply.”

Why it works:
No more rereading long threads or worrying I’ll miss something important. I get quick context and can respond with confidence.

✅ 3. Writing the Reply I Meant to Send 3 Days Ago

Tool: ChatGPT
What I do: I paste in the situation or draft a quick version of what I want to say, then ask:

“Write a friendly, professional email reply that sounds warm but clear.”

Why it works:
Saves time, stress, and second-guessing. Bonus: it helps you sound like the best version of yourself on your busiest day.

✅ 4. Capturing Ideas Before They Disappear

Tool: Voice memo + ChatGPT
What I do: I record ideas on the go, then drop the transcript into ChatGPT with:

“Can you organize these ideas into a newsletter outline or social post?”

Why it works:
Great ideas don’t wait for a calm moment. This trick helps you use the ideas you have instead of losing them in the chaos.

✅ 5. Making Sense of Messy Data

Tool: ChatGPT with Advanced Data Analysis
What I do: I upload a spreadsheet or copy raw data and ask:

“Summarize this in a few insights or create a basic chart I can share.”

Why it works:
No spreadsheet skills needed. No overwhelm. Just useful insights that save me from staring at rows and columns all day.

💡 Final Thought:

You don’t need a full automation workflow or a thousand-dollar plan to start using AI in meaningful ways. Sometimes it’s the little things — the quick draft, the cleaned-up mess, the organized thought — that make all the difference.

Start small. Use it where your brain feels most cluttered.
That’s where the magic is.

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