I Tried This AI Tool, and It Fixed My Daily Schedule (No More Burnout!)

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In a couple of months, I will begin a new season of life as a first-time mom. This will require me to rearrange my daily routine to accommodate the needs of taking care of an infant, and I’m using AI to help cut out the headache of planning every single moment of day.

One of the biggest challenges I’ll face is balancing the demands of my career as a writer with the responsibility of taking care of my family. I’m responsible for my own maternity leave and once the baby comes, I’ll transition to writing on a part-time basis. To mitigate some stress, I’ve started integrating Anthropic’s AI chatbot, Claude, into my daily workflow to help me manage my calendar and avoid burnout — it’s like having a free personal assistant.

I use Notion time management software to track everything I do, from chores to work assignments to meal planning. I gave Claude access to my time log and asked it to create time blocks using my existing schedule, based on when I’m most productive. Claude helped me identify time in the morning and early afternoon for deep work. (While there are free versions of Notion and Claude available, I use a Pro account with Claude, which costs about $21 monthly, and I pay $120 per year for Notion’s Plus plan.)

Every Monday morning I do a “brain dump” with Claude, sharing everything I need to get done during the week. Throughout the week, I try to do a shorter “standup” morning meeting checkin with the Claude AI chatbot. We go over any deadlines that are urgent and long-term projects that I need to work on. Because Claude knows when I’m most productive and understands the goals I’m working toward, it helps me prioritize my schedule to make sure I’m getting the right work done without putting too much pressure on myself to do more than is realistically possible.

It assigns high-priority tasks to my “deep work” time blocks, transferring these important tasks off my to-do list and onto my calendar. Claude then goes through the Notion databases where I keep all of my project tasks to create my daily schedule that now includes all of my high-priority tasks, and it automatically populates on my Notion Calendar.

Claude helps me fill in the rest of the day with housework, administrative work, and other priorities. I worked with Claude to set some professional and personal goals for the year. It helps me carve out time during the day to make progress on goals like reading and ongoing tasks like bookkeeping so I don’t fall behind.

I tend to overestimate how much work I can get done in a day, adding more things to my to-do list than I can realistically accomplish. When Claude helps me set up my daily calendar, it takes all of this into account. It’s straightforward with me, telling me when I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. This is helping me manage my expectations better, something that will be important when the baby arrives.

Claude also helps me manage household chores within my workday. It integrates routine tasks like starting a load of laundry or baking bread into my workday around existing break times. These home tasks give me a much-needed respite from my computer and prevent me from becoming overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done around the house, and I can still complete the assignments I need to that day.

Working with Claude transformed my relationship with work. Instead of creating an infinite to-do list, I schedule tasks to align with my personal workflow. Claude creates my calendar to prioritize essential work over busywork, and breaks down complex projects into simpler tasks. This gives me little wins, something that’s good for my mental health and making progress towards bigger goals. 

When Claude creates my daily calendar, it does so knowing that I’m expecting a baby, which means it creates a realistic schedule for me. It knows that on some days I’ll be more fatigued than others. Rather than going at the pace I’m used to, Claude has helped me slow down. 

While Claude isn’t exactly Rosey the robot, it helps me manage my schedule, reducing the mental energy that comes with working for yourself and taking care of a home. This frees up more of my time for the one thing that matters most: my family. Once the baby comes, I’ll continue doing daily and weekly meetings with Claude to integrate work around my baby’s needs. By helping me figure out what I can get done in a day now, I hope Claude will help me set manageable expectations for myself later on.