Three concepts and three lessons from the “Boosting Your Time Management with AI Tools” course

I was blown away by Brad Aeon’s 41-minute-long course on LinkedIn Learning titled “Boosting Your Time Management with AI Tools”. If I were disciplined and followed what I learned, my efficiency would increase multifold. It was so inspirational that I may even try some of it. Meanwhile, as a person who loves learning, this course filled me with delight because I learned a lot. There is a lot in there, and I just share three plus three points. I strongly recommend taking the course for yourself if you are a knowledge worker who is not antagonistic to the innovative use of AI.

First, before going on my learning highlights, let me share just three concepts (with their definitions) that I was unaware of in this form. Sure, what’s behind the ideas was vaguely familiar. But naming/labeling is rather useful and helps me understand what is happening in me and possibly others. 

1. Mental Contrasting: A strategy that involves thinking about/visualizing both goals and the obstacles to achieving them, promoting realistic planning and strategy formulation.
   • Personal note: This exercise would better prepare me for challenges and help me stay motivated.
     
2. Automation Reflex: The instinct to identify repetitive tasks that can be automated, thereby saving time and increasing efficiency.
   • Personal note: Once I get into the habit of automating some of my tasks, the idea that more of this can be automated can become a habit, aka reflex.
     
3. Cognitive Offloading: Using external tools, like AI, to store and organize ideas, preventing mental overload and enhancing actionability.
   • Direct quote from the course: “What do Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein have in common? They each had a system to capture their ideas and observations.” Well, if it worked for them, it could work for me too. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that I should always have an idea-capturing notebook or app with me and use it too.

And now the top 3 learnings. 

• People fail  for a combination of three reasons, and AI can help with all three:
  • Knowledge Problem: A barrier to achieving goals due to a lack of relevant information or understanding of how to proceed, which AI can help overcome by providing tailored knowledge.
    
  • Time Problem: The perception of not having enough time to achieve goals, which can be addressed by using AI to optimize schedules and prioritize tasks effectively.
    
  • Motivation Problem: The challenge of feeling overwhelmed by tasks, which can be mitigated by breaking goals into smaller, manageable tasks using AI.
    
• The best predictor of academic success is the amount of writing.
  • The more students write the better they do. I know that I think better when I write. E.g. at my team meetings it is usually me who takes notes. And at college I was always taking notes: I retain information better this way. The same can be applied to my thinking. If I keep writing (and rewriting) the quality and clarity hopefully gets better. And now I know that research supports my own observation too.
    
• Finally a tip
  • You can upload a screenshot, e.g. of calendar, schedule or task list to the AI and ask it to analyze it. As usual when working with AI: the more specific prompt you give it the better results and suggestions you can expect. 

What did you learn from the course available here? When you finish the course, you will get a certificate like I did: