If your workday feels packed but oddly unproductive, it’s probably not a motivation you’re battling with; it’s a workflow problem. The solution? Add a little AI into the mix.
AI tools aren’t here to replace your job, but they can take care of the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that quietly drain your focus and energy. AI is here to stay, so you may as well use it to help you work smarter, not harder.
From transcribing meetings to managing tasks, researching topics, or polishing your writing, AI can handle the small but essential pieces of work that often pile up unnoticed. By automating routine steps, summarizing information, and organizing your work, these tools let you spend more time on decisions, creative thinking, and actions that truly move your projects forward.
This list focuses on tools people use in practical, repeatable ways.
1. Turning meetings into clear next steps with Happy Scribe
Happy Scribe helps you convert audio and video from meetings, interviews, and conversations into accurate, searchable text. You can upload recordings or connect directly to online meeting platforms, and the tool can summarize meeting notes with AI. So key points, decisions, and action items are captured automatically, reducing the time you spend rewatching calls or typing notes manually.
Teams often use Happy Scribe to keep documentation consistent across projects, support compliance, and improve accessibility for all participants. The transcripts and AI-generated summaries can also be repurposed for internal knowledge bases, training materials, or content such as subtitles and blogs.
By handling the repetitive work of documentation, it allows teams to focus on following up and taking action on important items.
Use for:
- Transcribing meetings, interviews, and calls
- Creating AI summaries of discussions and decisions
- Producing captions or written records
Not ideal if: You need perfectly polished summaries without any review.
2. Getting writing and documentation support with Notion AI
Notion AI works inside the Notion workspace to support writing, summarising, and organising information. It’s commonly used to turn rough notes into structured content, condense long documents, or expand outlines into readable drafts. Because it sits within existing pages, it fits naturally into planning and documentation workflows.
Users typically rely on it to maintain clarity across shared documents rather than creating finished content from scratch. It’s most effective when paired with clear instructions and well-organised source material.
Use for:
- Summarising meeting notes and internal documents
- Expanding outlines or reorganising content
- Supporting collaborative documentation
Not ideal if: You’re not already using Notion as a primary workspace.
3. Automating repetitive processes with Zapier
Zapier connects different software tools so that actions in one app automatically trigger actions in another. It’s often used to automate routine processes such as saving form responses, sending notifications, updating spreadsheets, or moving data between platforms. Once set up, these workflows run automatically with minimal ongoing management, freeing up time for higher-value work.
This tool is typically used behind the scenes to reduce manual data handling, maintain consistency across tools, and prevent small operational errors that can occur when tasks are performed repeatedly. It’s especially useful for teams juggling multiple apps or for solo professionals who want to streamline daily processes without writing code.
Over time, Zapier can help standardize workflows and create a more predictable, efficient system for handling routine tasks.
Use for:
- Automating repetitive tasks
- Connecting apps that do not integrate natively
- Reducing manual data entry
Not ideal if: Your workflows require complex logic or high-volume processing on a tight budget.
4. Conducting early-stage research with Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is used to explore topics and answer questions while providing cited sources. It helps users quickly understand unfamiliar subjects or validate information without opening multiple search results. The platform is commonly used at the beginning of research rather than as a final reference.
It works best for general knowledge, market overviews, and background research where speed and source visibility matter.
Use for:
- Exploring new topics
- Getting source-backed summaries
- Validating high-level information
Not ideal if: You need deep analysis of niche or proprietary data.
5. Improving everyday writing with Grammarly AI
Grammarly AI supports writing by providing real-time feedback on grammar, clarity, and tone across emails, documents, and messaging platforms. It’s used during the writing process rather than after, which helps maintain consistency without adding an extra editing step.
It can also suggest more concise phrasing, adjust tone for different audiences, and flag common errors that are easy to overlook when writing quickly.
Many users rely on it to reduce mistakes in professional communication, improve readability, and maintain a consistent style across different types of content. It can be integrated into browsers, word processors, and messaging apps, making it easy to use across most everyday writing tasks.
Use for:
- Editing emails and documents
- Improving tone and clarity
- Supporting non-native English writing
Not ideal if: You want highly stylistic or creative writing support.
6. Sharing explanations and updates with Loom
Loom is used to record short screen and voice videos that explain tasks, processes, or feedback in a clear visual format. It’s commonly used when written instructions would be too long or unclear, or when live meetings are unnecessary. Videos can be shared via a link and viewed asynchronously.
Loom is often incorporated into knowledge-sharing and documentation workflows. Teams use it to create reusable explanations for recurring questions, reduce the need for repeated written instructions, and provide visual context that would be difficult to capture in text alone.
Use for:
- Process walkthroughs
- Async updates and feedback
- Onboarding and training
Not ideal if: Content includes sensitive or confidential information.
7. Managing tasks and projects with ClickUp AI
ClickUp AI is integrated into the ClickUp project management platform to support task creation, documentation, and project updates. It’s commonly used to reduce the manual work involved in maintaining task descriptions, status updates, and internal summaries, especially in projects with many moving parts.
Teams use ClickUp AI alongside standard task tracking to summarise progress, generate task outlines, and keep documentation aligned with ongoing work. It’s most effective in environments where projects involve multiple contributors, deadlines, and dependencies, and where consistent reporting is required.
Use for:
- Managing tasks, deadlines, and dependencies
- Summarising project updates and activity
- Supporting collaboration across teams and projects
Not ideal if: You prefer very lightweight task tools or only manage simple to-do lists.
8. Organising research and reading with Readwise
Readwise helps you keep track of highlights and notes from articles, books, PDFs, and newsletters. Instead of losing useful insights across platforms, it pulls everything into one place and resurfaces key ideas over time. Many people use it as a personal knowledge system rather than a productivity tool in the traditional sense.
It integrates with reading apps and browsers, making it easier to review what you have already read and connect ideas across sources. This can be useful if your work involves ongoing learning or long-term research.
Use for:
- Saving and reviewing highlights from articles and books
- Building a searchable personal knowledge library
- Connecting reading insights to writing or planning
Not ideal if: You rarely highlight or revisit what you read.
9. Generating quick visuals with Canva AI
Canva AI is used to create simple visual assets without design software. It supports presentations, social media graphics, documents, and basic branding materials. Many users rely on it to produce visuals quickly when design is not their primary role.
The AI features help generate layouts, images, and text suggestions, which can reduce the time spent starting from scratch. It fits well into workflows where visuals are needed regularly but do not require custom design work.
Use for:
- Creating presentations and social graphics
- Producing simple marketing or internal visuals
- Drafting layouts quickly with AI assistance
Not ideal if: You need highly custom or complex design work.
Choosing AI tools that fit your workflow
AI tools tend to deliver the most value when they support existing workflows rather than adding complexity. The tools listed above focus on common workday needs such as documentation, research, writing, automation, and task management, with each one designed to solve a specific type of problem.
When evaluating new tools, it helps to start with one clear use case and test how well a platform fits into your routine. Pay attention to how much setup is required, whether it integrates with tools you already use, and how often you realistically return to it after the initial trial period.
It’s also worth considering long-term factors such as pricing at scale, data handling, collaboration features, and accessibility. Over time, selective use of AI can reduce administrative effort and improve consistency without requiring major changes to how you work.
