How to Use AI to Get Hours Back in Your Day
You’re busy.
Work, kids, bills, the never-ending list.
AI won’t live your life for you.
But it can clear the brush so you can walk the trail.
Think of AI as an apprentice.
You stay the dad. It handles the grunt work.
Below is a practical, thorough playbook—mindset, setup, daily routines, and copy-paste prompts. Use what helps. Ignore what doesn’t. The goal is simple: win back hours and put them where they matter most.
1) Mindset: You’re the boss, AI is the helper
- Stewardship over time. Your hours are God-given. Spend them on what only you can do: loving your kids, leading your home, doing the work God put in your hands.
- Apprentice mentality. Delegate low-value tasks: sorting email, drafting messages, summarizing meetings, making lists, first drafts.
- Guardrails. Don’t paste sensitive info you wouldn’t want public. Verify anything important. AI drafts; you decide.
2) One-Hour Setup (do this once)
Create three buckets (folders/labels/spaces in your tools of choice):
- Home (meals, shopping, chores, kids’ schedules)
- Work (email, meetings, documents)
- Projects (side hustle, legal/admin, big goals)
Pick your tools (keep it simple):
- Assistant: ChatGPT (or your preferred AI).
- Capture: Notes app with voice-to-text (Apple Notes / Google Keep).
- Tasks: Any simple to-do app (Reminders / Todoist / Asana).
- Calendar: Your phone’s default.
- Optional: Automation hub (Zapier/IFTTT) later.
Create these templates (copy into Notes for quick reuse):
- Morning Sweep, Meeting Notes, Email Triage, Meal Plan, Weekly Review (templates below).
3) The Daily 15 (your new rhythm)
Morning (7–10 min)
- Paste your Morning Sweep prompt (below).
- Approve the plan. Create/adjust tasks & calendar.
Midday (3–5 min)
- Drop any meeting bullets into the Meeting Notes prompt → get actions.
Evening (3–5 min)
- Quick Tomorrow Setup: paste what’s unfinished → get a light plan.
The point isn’t perfection. It’s rhythm. Small hinges swing big doors.
4) High-Impact Workflows (with prompts)
A) Email: Triage and draft in minutes
- Create three labels: Reply Today / Delegate / Read Later.
- Let AI sort text you paste and draft first replies.
Prompt — Email Triage
You are my inbox triage. Categorize these emails into:
1) Reply Today, 2) Delegate, 3) Read Later.
For each in Reply Today, draft a 3–5 sentence reply in my tone: direct, respectful, decisive.
Keep placeholders like {Name}/{Date} where needed.
Here are the emails:
[PASTE SUBJECTS + SNIPPETS]
B) Meetings: Go in prepared, leave with actions
- Before: ask AI for agenda + questions.
- After: paste rough notes → get decisions, owners, deadlines.
Prompt — Meeting Notes to Actions
Turn these messy meeting notes into:
- Decisions (bullet list)
- Action Items (Owner, Task, Due Date)
- Risks/Blocks
- Follow-up Email (3–4 sentences)
Notes:
[PASTE]
C) Documents: First draft fast
- Use AI for outlines, intros, sections, then you refine.
Prompt — Outline to Draft
Create a clear outline, then write a concise first draft (600–900 words) on:
[TOPIC]
Audience: busy dads. Tone: direct, practical, Christ-centered.
Include 3 bulleted action steps at the end.
D) Research: Save an hour
- Ask for a summary + key points + questions to ask. Then verify.
Prompt — Rapid Research Brief
I need a practical brief on: [TOPIC].
Deliver:
- 5 key facts
- 3 common pitfalls
- A simple checklist to act today
- 5 questions to ask before deciding
Keep it plain and actionable.
E) Home Ops: Meals, groceries, chores
- Weekly meal plan + auto shopping list = hours saved.
Prompt — 15-Minute Meal Planner
Plan 5 simple dinners for 1 week, 30 minutes or less, budget-friendly, kid-friendly.
Output:
1) Menu (Mon–Fri)
2) Shopping List grouped by aisle
3) Prep steps I can do on Sunday in 30 minutes
Diet notes/allergies: [NOTES]
F) Parenting & school: Forms, schedules, communication
- Draft clear messages to teachers/co-parents in a calm tone.
Prompt — Calm, Clear Message
Rewrite this message to be calm, child-focused, and solution-oriented.
No accusations, no emotion-laden words. 4–6 sentences max.
Original:
[PASTE]
G) Finances: Bills, budget, negotiation
- Categorize transactions; draft negotiation scripts.
Prompt — Bill Negotiation Script
Write a short phone script to ask for a lower rate on [SERVICE].
Tone: polite, firm. Include: loyalty, competing offers, budget constraints, ask for retention options.
H) Fitness: Short and doable
- 20-minute plans that fit your week.
Prompt — 20-Minute Dad Workout
Create a 4-week, 20-min, 4x/week workout plan using bodyweight + dumbbells.
Goal: energy, consistency. Include warm-up, main set, cool-down. Keep it realistic.
I) Legal/Admin: Timelines & tone (use caution)
- Build timelines from texts/emails. Keep privacy in mind.
Prompt — Timeline from Messages
Create a neutral timeline (Date, Event, Source) from these messages:
[PASTE]
Do not speculate. Keep child-focused language.
5) The Morning Sweep (copy-paste)
Prompt — Morning Sweep
You are my daily chief of staff.
Input:
- Today’s hard commitments: [TIMES]
- Top 3 priorities: [LIST]
- Tasks backlog: [PASTE BULLETS]
- Constraints: [KID PICKUP, APPOINTMENTS, ETC.]
Output in this format:
1) 3 Must-Do Tasks (single-sentence each)
2) Time-Blocked Plan (with buffers + meals)
3) Quick Wins (3 tasks under 10 min)
4) Messages to Send (bulleted drafts if needed)
5) One Line of Encouragement (Christ-centered)
Keep it simple and realistic.
Run it every morning. Adjust the plan, not your humanity.
6) Weekly Review (20–30 min, once a week)
Look back. What worked? What slipped?
Look ahead. Big events, deadlines, meals, childcare.
Reset. Clear inbox, clean task list, book your workouts and a Sabbath rest.
Prompt — Weekly Review
Create a weekly dashboard from this context:
- Last week done/missed: [PASTE]
- This week events: [PASTE]
- Top goals (work/home): [PASTE]
Output:
- Top 5 Outcomes for the week
- Calendar Anchors (non-negotiables)
- Meal Plan (Mon–Fri) in one line each
- 10-Task Sprint List (max 10, small steps)
- Risk Radar (3 risks + mitigation)
7) Voice Capture (for busy dads on the move)
Use your phone’s voice memo or notes dictation to dump thoughts. Paste into AI to clean, sort, and create tasks.
Prompt — Voice Dump to Tasks
Turn this voice dump into:
- Projects (3–5 max)
- Next Actions (verb-first, under 15 minutes)
- Calendar dates if obvious
Text:
[PASTE TRANSCRIPT]
8) Boundaries & Safety
- Privacy: Remove names/IDs. Don’t upload sensitive legal, medical, or kid info without redacting.
- Accuracy: Treat AI like a fast intern. Verify important facts before acting.
- Presence: Win back hours to be present—meals at the table, eye contact, prayer. AI is a tool, not a life.
9) The 7-Day Time-Saver Sprint (walkaway plan)
Day 1: One-Hour Setup (buckets, tools, templates)
Day 2: Email Triage + canned replies (create 5)
Day 3: Morning Sweep habit + Quick Wins list
Day 4: Meal Plan + Shopping List + one 30-min prep
Day 5: Meeting Notes → Decisions & Actions on two meetings
Day 6: Home Ops: chore list + kid schedule sync
Day 7: Weekly Review + schedule a Sabbath rest
If you only do this sprint, you’ll feel the margin.
10) Quick Reference: Copy-Paste Prompt Pack
Calm Rewrite (for heated messages)
Rewrite for calm, factual, child-focused tone. Remove blame, keep boundaries clear. 4–6 sentences.
Text:
[PASTE]
Project to Next Actions
Turn this project into 5–10 next actions, each 15 minutes or less, with suggested order.
Project:
[PASTE]
Shopping List from Meals
Create a consolidated grocery list from these meals, grouped by aisle, with quantities for [#] people:
[PASTE MENU]
Side Hustle Starter
Given my skills [LIST], propose 3 simple side hustles I can start in 30 days, with weekly plans and first 5 actions for each.
Closing
Fatherhood is a fight.
AI won’t fight it for you—but it will clear the clutter so you can swing harder at what matters.
Be the man who shows up—steady, present, and unapologetically faithful.
Win back your hours. Spend them on your kids, your calling, and your walk with Christ.
Life Application (today)
- Run the Morning Sweep once and follow the plan for half a day.
- Use the Meal Planner once and buy what it tells you.
- Do the Weekly Review this Sunday and protect one hour as Sabbath.
Start there. Stack the wins. That’s how you get your time back.
No Comments