How I use AI to save 10+ hours per week

Summary

Ali Abdaal shares how he uses AI in his work and personal life, saying it saves him more than 10 hours per week. The video is aimed mainly at people who are relatively new to AI. His broader lesson is to learn by watching how someone in a different line of work uses a tool, then adapt the idea to your own situation.

His central principle is that AI should augment his thinking, not replace it. He uses it to draw out and organize his own ideas, speed up research and analysis, and make everyday tasks easier—not simply to have AI produce finished work without his input.

Main Use Cases and Methods

1. Using AI to Support Writing

Ali uses a combination of VoicePal, Claude, ChatGPT, and Notion to create newsletters and other written content.

His typical workflow is:

• Capture ideas by speaking. He records rough thoughts in VoicePal, often while walking. Speaking lets him get ideas down quickly without needing to draft polished prose.
• Develop the ideas through follow-up questions. VoicePal asks questions about examples, obstacles, and how an idea might apply in other situations. Ali answers to add detail and clarify what he thinks.
• Generate and compare drafts. He may export a draft from VoicePal or paste the transcript into Claude or ChatGPT. He often tests multiple versions because the first output may not fit his voice or purpose.
• Use projects and context where helpful. He has separate writing projects in Claude and ChatGPT. He finds Claude often writes well, while ChatGPT’s memory can sometimes help it produce a better first draft because it knows more about him.
• Edit the result himself. He moves a promising draft into Notion and makes final changes, such as removing headings or reworking phrasing.

For this particular newsletter, he says the process reduced writing time from about two hours to roughly half an hour. Capturing thoughts throughout the week also makes it easier to write when he sits down to assemble the newsletter.

He does not use AI for every section. For example, he prefers to write some personal recommendations himself when he has a clear, distinctive way of expressing the thought.

2. Using AI for Subject Lines

Ali uses Notion AI—or asks Claude or ChatGPT—to suggest email subject lines. He treats the suggestions as quick options to choose from, rather than something he must use.

3. Analyzing Data and Planning Content

When he has a spreadsheet or CSV file, he may upload it to Claude or ChatGPT for analysis. One example is YouTube analytics from the previous 365 days:

• He asks the AI to analyze performance and suggest video topics that could increase views and subscriber growth.
• He reviews the proposed topics and titles, selecting ideas that seem promising.
• He sometimes asks for a deeper follow-up—what he calls a “level two and three” response—to get more detailed analysis and variations.

4. Using AI as a Travel Guide and General Assistant

While traveling in Taiwan, Ali used Claude conversationally to identify places and answer questions about what he was seeing. He asked about landmarks in Taipei, the island’s semiconductor industry, and a temple ritual involving moon blocks.

He also demonstrates asking ChatGPT for pregnancy-safe sushi ideas for his wife, who likes sushi but cannot eat raw fish while pregnant.

For these casual questions, he prefers speaking to the AI and reading its text response. He finds Claude’s voice-input flow less cumbersome than ChatGPT’s in the example shown, where ChatGPT required an extra step to send a transcription. He has also experimented with Perplexity for search-style queries.

Key Lessons

• Start with your own ideas. AI is most useful to Ali when it helps him clarify and develop thoughts that originate with him.
• Expect iteration. AI output is rarely perfect on the first try. Comparing drafts, adjusting prompts, and editing the result are part of the process.
• Keep the human voice. Some writing is better done personally, especially when a specific tone or personal expression matters.
• Reduce friction. A tool that is easy to use in the moment—such as speaking a question while traveling—can become more useful because it fits naturally into everyday life.
• Adapt ideas across contexts. Seeing how someone in another industry uses AI can suggest practical ways to apply it in your own work.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Ali Abdaal — the video’s narrator and the only human speaker in the subtitles.
• VoicePal — used to capture spoken ideas and ask follow-up questions.
• Claude (Anthropic) — used for writing drafts, answering travel questions, and other conversational tasks.
• ChatGPT (OpenAI) — used for writing, data analysis, and practical suggestions.
• Notion AI — used to suggest email subject lines; Notion is also where Ali edits drafts.
• Perplexity — mentioned as a tool he has been experimenting with for search-style queries.
• Shopify — featured in a sponsored segment.
• Ali’s wife — mentioned in examples, but does not speak in the subtitles.