Boosting Productivity: Practical Ways AI Can Accelerate Your Goals and Planning

Every year ends with the same question: how will next year be different?

This time, there’s a new tool in the mix: artificial intelligence (AI). It’s been impossible to ignore this year. You hear about it in meetings, read about it in headlines, and see it built into nearly every new app. Some people are excited. Others are skeptical. But almost everyone is curious about how it might actually help them.

For me, the question isn’t whether AI can set goals or take action for you. It can’t. Rather, I believe AI can support you in thinking, planning, and executing more effectively. Used well, AI becomes a thought partner that helps you organize your ideas, uncover blind spots, and build better systems for reaching your goals. It can give you perspective, structure, and speed, but the ownership stays with you. You still decide what matters. You still take the steps. You still create the outcomes.

The best way I see using AI is not as a replacement for effort, but as a partner that strengthens it.

Start with a Clear Plan

Before diving into any AI tool, take a moment to define why you’re using it. What problem do you want to solve? What do you hope to gain?

AI for the sake of AI helps no one. Without a plan, it’s easy to spend time trying tools that sound impressive but solve nothing. Start small. Pick one area where AI might make a real difference—something that slows you down or drains your energy. Those moments of friction are where AI can often help most.

Look for Simple Wins

This year I tested dozens of AI tools. Only a few made a real difference. One that did is Todoist’s “Ramble” feature. You can talk out loud about what needs to get done, and it translates your words into organized tasks. It’s not revolutionary, but it works. It takes scattered thoughts and turns them into structure. It helps from a productivity standpoint, but not specifically in goal setting. I see this as a way to get more done easily, versus AI doing something completely differently.

Another area where AI can help is writing. You still need to know what you want to say, but once you outline your ideas, AI can turn them into a polished message. If your goal is to grow sales as a outside sales person, for example, you can use AI to draft outreach emails. Give it your key points and ask for professional wording. That alone can help you reach more prospects faster and focus your energy on follow-up instead of formatting. For store leaders, asking AI (i.e., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) for ideas on how to generate more sales within your stores can create ideas that you might not think of. It cannot do it for you, but it can help in the thought process.

These are some simple, practical ways to save time and build momentum toward your goals.

Use AI as a Thought Partner

The real strength of AI is in how it helps you think. You can describe your goal and ask it to challenge you. What steps should you take first? What might you be missing? What would be a reasonable timeline? The answers will rarely be perfect, but they push your thinking forward.

It’s like having a mentor who’s always available. You can ask for perspective, structure, or feedback. Then you can refine the ideas into your own words and plan. You’re still in charge. The tool simply helps you see options faster and with more clarity.

Try asking, “What might I not be considering?” or “What questions should I ask before committing to this goal?” These kinds of prompts can open new directions you might not have thought of on your own. I have found this approach to be very helpful. And most of the AI tools now have voice chatting available which can really feel like your having a conversation, and eliminates the need to be sitting at a desk or trying to type all the information into the computer. Perfect for using with your phone or tablet on the go.

Build Better Habits, Not Just Better Tasks

AI can also help strengthen consistency. If you need a way to track habits or measure progress, AI can create templates in Excel, Notion, or any simple app you use. It can build a tracker, schedule, or reminder system that fits your rhythm.

If you lead a team, AI can help you organize your notes from one-on-one meetings, write summaries, or build talking-point outlines for upcoming sessions. You’re still leading the conversation. AI just helps you walk in prepared. This can help with the administrative pieces related to leadership. More time to work on the outcomes of conversations (for your goals) and less on the small tasks that inevitably have to happen.

Pay Attention to Friction

One of the best ways to find value in AI is to track where you feel friction in your day. Each time you notice a task that feels tedious or time-consuming, make a note of it. Then, later, ask AI a simple question: “How could you help me with this?” or “What’s a faster way to approach this?” Sometimes you’ll discover a new tool or shortcut. Sometimes it won’t have the answer. Either way, you learn where your energy goes and how you might use support to direct it better. I have begun to do this and have found some interesting new approaches to things based on the experimenting. Patience is required here, as it does take time to work through the realities of situations or if you need to learn something new. But I do think there is value in the exercise itself.

New Year, New Ideas

Now is a perfect time to start fresh with your thoughts or approach to different routines. Experiment in the remaining days of the or the first part of next year. Try one AI conversation around your goals this week. Identify one recurring task to automate or simplify. Reflect on where AI helped you think differently. AI won’t do your work for you. But it can make you more thoughtful, creative, and consistent in doing it. And that’s how goals get achieved. That is how you can get more accomplished in the year ahead.

Have you started to use AI in new ways to help with your goals? What is working for you?

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