Start here this month
Not a course, not a checklist of every AI tool that exists. One time sink, one starter stack, thirty days, and an honest look at whether it earned its place. That's the whole plan.
Step 1 — pick one time sink
Just one. The point of thirty days is a real answer for one thing, not a shallow try at four.
- Customer emails and marketing copy Replies, follow-ups, social posts, the newsletter you keep meaning to send.
- Meeting and call notes Client calls, site visits, anything you'd otherwise half-remember by dinner.
- Quotes, invoices, and paperwork The admin pile that waits until evenings and weekends.
- Reviews and customer replies Responding to reviews and enquiries without staring at a blank box.
Step 2 — your starter stack
Most of this is free. Here's the stack we'd hand a solo owner starting today:
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1. A chat tool — ChatGPT or Claude
Pick one and stop comparing; for everyday writing and thinking, the two are more alike than different. See ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini: where should you start? if you want the full comparison first.
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2. One specialist tool — matched to your time sink
If you picked meeting or call notes, that's a transcription tool like Otter.ai — see Meeting notes without the typing. Picked something else? The specialist changes, but the shape doesn't: Useful AI tools that aren't chatbots tours the other categories so you can match one to what you chose in Step 1.
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3. Optional — an automation tool that connects two apps
Only once the first two are a genuine habit. Tools like Zapier pass information between apps automatically — a new form response becomes a to-do, a new invoice becomes a reminder. Skip this for now if the first two are still new; it's not needed for the thirty days.
Free tiers cover this stack for most solo owners. If you outgrow one, Free vs. paid AI: what $20 a month actually gets you covers exactly when the upgrade pays for itself. No prices invented here.
Step 3 — run the thirty days
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Week 1 — set up and take the first hour
Pick your chat tool and work through the walkthrough below. Use it on your real time sink at least once. See Your first hour with AI.
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Weeks 2-3 — build the habit
Fifteen minutes at a time, on the same task, every time it comes up. Reps beat study. See The 15-minute AI habit that compounds.
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Week 4 — tally it up
Look back at the weeks below and fill in your own estimate. If you skipped a week, leave it blank — a blank week is information too.
Your hours-saved log
This is yours to fill in as you go — print it, copy it into a note, whatever's easiest. We never estimate this for you.
| Week | What you tried | Hours saved (your estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Not recorded | |
| Week 2 | Not recorded | |
| Week 3 | Not recorded | |
| Week 4 | Not recorded |
Day 30 — keep or drop
Look at what you filled in above, honestly. If it gave you real hours back and you'd miss it if it vanished tomorrow, keep it — and if you're bumping into the free tier's limits, that's the moment to read the pricing guide above. If you barely used it or it didn't change your week, drop it. No shame in that; it means you learned something in thirty days instead of guessing for a year. Either way, pick your next time sink from Step 1 and start again.