How Our Team Actually Uses AI Every Day
People ask what AI tools we actually use. Not what we review - what we genuinely rely on daily.
Here’s our honest breakdown.
Morning: Research & Planning
Perplexity for Research
We start most research in Perplexity, not Google. “What are the latest features in [tool]?” gives us sourced answers faster than traditional search.
Time saved: ~30 minutes/day on research
Claude for Planning
When planning articles or projects, Claude helps think through structure. We give it context about what we’re creating, and it suggests outlines, identifies gaps, and raises questions we hadn’t considered.
Time saved: ~20 minutes per project
Midday: Content Creation
ChatGPT for Drafting
We use ChatGPT to draft sections, not whole articles. “Write 200 words explaining [concept] for beginners” then we edit heavily. AI creates the skeleton; we add the meat.
Time saved: ~45 minutes per article
Grammarly for Editing
Every article runs through Grammarly. We don’t accept all suggestions, but it catches errors and awkward phrasing we miss.
Time saved: ~15 minutes per article
Midjourney for Images
When we need custom images that stock photos can’t provide, Midjourney creates them. About 30% of our article images are AI-generated.
Time saved: ~20 minutes per image (vs. finding/creating alternatives)
Afternoon: Communication
Claude for Emails
Complex emails - partnership outreach, difficult responses, professional communication - often start with Claude. We give it context and our main points; it drafts something we refine.
Time saved: ~15 minutes on complex emails
ChatGPT for Social
Repurposing content for social media. “Turn this article section into a Twitter thread” or “Write 5 LinkedIn post variations for this topic.”
Time saved: ~30 minutes per content piece
Evening: Admin & Planning
Otter for Meetings
Every meeting is transcribed. We can search across all meetings, get summaries, and never miss action items.
Time saved: ~20 minutes per meeting (note-taking + review)
Zapier for Automation
Not AI per se, but critical. Forms auto-populate spreadsheets, new content triggers social posts, contacts sync between tools.
Time saved: ~1 hour/day on manual data entry
The Stack Cost
| Tool | Monthly Cost | Value Rating |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus | $20 | Essential |
| Claude Pro | $20 | Essential |
| Perplexity Pro | $20 | Very useful |
| Midjourney | $30 | Useful |
| Grammarly | $12 | Useful |
| Otter.ai | $8 | Useful |
| Zapier | $20 | Essential |
Total: ~$130/month
Worth it? Absolutely. We estimate AI saves 15-20 hours per week per person.
What We Don’t Use AI For
- Final editorial judgment
- Fact-checking (AI writes, we verify)
- Strategic decisions
- Personal/sensitive communications
- Anything requiring real expertise
AI assists. Humans decide.
Our Advice
- Start with one tool, master it
- Add tools only for specific pain points
- Track what you actually use vs. what you pay for
- Cancel what you don’t use monthly
The goal isn’t maximum AI - it’s maximum productivity.
Questions about our workflow? Ask us.