Boost your productivity with AI tools

We’ve got tips to help you streamline your personal workflow with AI-powered tools for enhanced productivity.

Workflows are often the toughest pain point to address, but they’re also among the most rewarding to get right. Whether you’re managing a team or just trying to keep your daily tasks in check, the way you handle your workflow is the difference between crushing your goals and drowning in deadlines. Here’s where most people stumble: when you’re deeply entrenched in your own process, it’s hard to see where improvements are possible. It’s like a fish trying to make sense of—and improve—water.

That’s where AI steps in as your new best friend in all things personal workflow management. By centralizing your tasks and automating the repetitive stuff, AI takes the guesswork out of managing your workload. It can even enhance team collaboration when you find the right platform. If you’re ready, let’s take your productivity up a notch. These AI tips, tricks, and tools will have you working smarter, not harder, in no time.

What is a personal workflow?

Think of a personal workflow as your go-to approach for managing your work, whatever that might be. Whether it’s onboarding a new client, setting up a meeting, or juggling multiple projects, your personal workflow is the set of steps you follow to get it all done.

In this blog, we're focusing on how AI can help streamline your workflow by automating tasks that don’t need your creative flair or strategic expertise. This can potentially save you hours each week. Let’s take a look at how this might work for a freelance graphic designer who’s constantly juggling client work. Their workflow might look something like this:

1. Check emails for new client work, feedback on drafts, and responses to questions from current clients.
2. Sort through the day’s to-dos: What’s urgent? What can wait till midday? And what can be pushed to tomorrow?
3. Take a micro-break—maybe a walk—to stay sharp.
4. Respond to all those emails.
5. Get completely immersed in prioritized work during a dedicated block of creative time.
6. Take a second micro-break—perhaps snacking on a cruffin (bet you forgot about those).
7. Finish up the day by wrapping up any essential tasks.

By automating these steps with AI (especially numbers 2 and 4), you can save significant time and mental energy, freeing up space for the work that matters. And according to Slack’s The State of Work 2023 report, employees who use automations save up to 23 work days per year (more 🏖, less 💼). Here’s how you can reclaim your calendar and some peace.

Centralize your workflow with AI-powered tools

Sometimes the most time-consuming part of your day is just getting your ducks in a row. Whether it’s hunting down that one email with a weird subject line, setting up a project brief, or attending a never-ending kick-off meeting, it all adds up. That’s why some AI-powered tools are designed to centralize your workflow, so you can keep your tabs (and stress levels) low while ratcheting up your productivity.

Take ClickUp, for example. This tool lets you customize virtually every aspect of your personal workflow. Whether you’re a fan of Gantt charts or prefer a whiteboard-like view, ClickUp’s got you covered. You can work in live, collaborative docs, access work-related wikis, and even chat with your team—all in one place. And with over 100 different automations to choose from, you can set triggers (like when a client fills out a questionnaire) and responding actions (like automatically sending a follow-up email with next steps).

By keeping everything in one place, you’re not wasting time searching for files or having to repeat conversations. Instead, you and your team can stay laser-focused on what really matters.

Using AI workflow automation tools

Not everything on your to-do list is project-related or about communication. Repetitive tasks like scheduling, reminders, and data entry can be major time-sinks—but they don’t have to be.

Enter Zapier, a powerful automation tool that connects your apps and automates workflows across different platforms. By creating “Zaps” (i.e., automated workflows), Zapier can take over those repetitive tasks. For example, you can set up a Zap to automatically update a spreadsheet whenever new data lands in your inbox or to send calendar reminders based on specific or recurring events. This keeps your workflow smooth and uninterrupted, so you can focus on the tasks requiring your expertise.

Enhance team collaboration with AI-driven platforms

Collaboration is key to any successful project, but if we’re being honest—keeping everyone on the same page can be a challenge. That’s where AI-powered platforms come in. They streamline collaboration by centralizing communication and project management, making it easier for everyone to stay in sync.

For instance, Trello offers a visual approach to project management that, when paired with AI-driven tools, can seriously boost team efficiency. With automated reporting and task delegation, Trello can handle the repetitive stuff, keep boards up to date, and automatically delegate tasks, making collaboration a breeze.

FAQs—AI workflow automation

1. How can AI improve my personal workflow?
AI can automate repetitive tasks, manage and prioritize your schedule, and even predict what you need to do next. This frees up your time for more creative and strategic work.

2. What are the best AI tools for workflow automation?
Zapier, ClickUp, and Trello are all top-notch tools that can help streamline your workflow. They offer various automation features to handle everything from task management to real-time collaboration.

3. How do I integrate AI into my existing productivity tools?
Many AI features can be added through integrations within your current tools. For example, you can use Trello’s automation features to streamline project management by automating repetitive tasks, like assigning team members and setting due dates.