5 AI Tools That Save Me Hours Every Week (And 2 That Don’t)
AI tools are everywhere — in your browser, inbox, calendar, and maybe even your microwave (looking at you, smart kitchen startups).
But not all of them are worth the download.
Here are 5 AI tools that I use every single week to save real time — and 2 that sounded great but didn’t deliver.
✅ THE WINNERS: 5 TOOLS THAT ACTUALLY DELIVER
1. Notion AI
Best for: Summarizing notes, rewriting content, brainstorming ideas
🕒 Time saved: ~3 hours/week
Notion was already great — but with AI built-in, it’s become my personal assistant.
It drafts outlines, rewrites rough ideas, and summarizes meeting notes better than I do (not proud, just honest).
2. ChatGPT Pro (with GPT-4o)
Best for: Email drafts, content writing, troubleshooting, thinking out loud
🕒 Time saved: ~5+ hours/week
This one’s obvious — but it’s still top-tier. From writing blog intros to coding snippets, GPT-4o is fast, context-aware, and oddly good at tone.
Pro tip: Give it structure and role-based context (see our Prompt Engineering guide).
3. Descript
Best for: Podcast/video editing and transcription
🕒 Time saved: ~2 hours/week
If you’re creating audio or video content, Descript is magic. It edits like a doc — delete words from the transcript and it cuts the audio/video automatically.
Bonus: It now includes voice cloning (use responsibly!).
4. GrammarlyGO
Best for: Email replies, tone adjustments, professional polishing
🕒 Time saved: ~1 hour/week
Grammarly’s AI assistant suggests context-based rewrites, makes your writing sharper, and helps with tone shifts. It’s a lifesaver in a corporate inbox.
5. Tability (AI OKRs & Weekly Check-ins)
Best for: Solo founders, remote teams, self-accountability
🕒 Time saved: ~2 hours/week
Tability tracks weekly progress, goals, and metrics — and now with AI-generated nudges and summaries. It’s like a no-nonsense coach that doesn’t waste your time with dashboards.
❌ THE FLOPS: 2 TOOLS I STOPPED USING
1. AI Scheduling Assistants (x.ai alternatives)
Why it didn’t work: Too robotic, unreliable, and made simple tasks complicated.
These bots promise “smart calendar management,” but half the time they misunderstood time zones, overbooked me, or sent cringey emails. A human VA or Google Calendar still wins.
2. AI Slide Deck Builders
Why it didn’t work: Generic output, repetitive visuals, no real narrative structure.
They generate slides fast — but they’re soulless. You spend more time fixing design and flow than if you’d started from scratch. Helpful for early brainstorming, not final decks.
🧠 Final Thought
AI should save time — not create more tasks to clean up.
Stick with the tools that play to their strengths, and drop the ones that just add noise to your workflow. Time is too valuable for half-smart automation.
