Everything we'd tell a friend over lunch about getting real value from AI. What to buy, how to set it up, what to say, and what to hand off first. Plain English, about 15 minutes to read, and every prompt is ready to copy.
The big three are all strong. The one you use every day wins. Here's how to choose in a minute.
Best for writing that sounds like you, long documents and contracts, careful thinking, and connecting to your email, calendar and files to do real work.
Pick it if: you write a lot, read a lot, or want an assistant that runs real tasks.The best-known all-rounder. Great voice conversations, image creation, and a huge library of add-ons.
Pick it if: you want one tool for everything and talk to it out loud.Google's assistant, built into Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Drive.
Pick it if: your business already runs on Google Workspace.Do these five things once. Most people skip them and wonder why AI feels generic.
Paste the template on the right into your assistant's personal preferences or custom instructions. It reads this before every chat.
Use it in the car. Thinking out loud with it is the fastest way to build the habit.
Look for "connectors" or "apps" in settings. Start with read access. Now you can ask, "What did the lender say about rates last week?"
Put the key documents inside each one and give each its own short instructions. Every chat in a project starts with that context.
Choose your training setting. Decide now what never goes in: passwords, full account numbers, and anyone else's private details without permission.
About me: I'm [name], [role] at [company] in [city]. My work: [what you sell, to whom, how big]. My family: [spouse, kids and ages]. What matters most to me: [faith, family, health, goals]. How I like answers: short and in plain English. Recommendation first, then the why. If something is unclear, ask me before guessing. Point out the weakest part of my plan. Never invent numbers, names or facts. Tell me when you're unsure. Things to avoid: [anything you never want].
A new hire with no context does average work. Give the same person the background, the goal and an example, and they do great work. AI is the same.
"Write an email to my contractor."
Result: a generic email you'll rewrite anyway."Context: our basement remodel is 3 weeks behind and the contractor stopped answering texts. Goal: get a firm finish date without souring the relationship. Inputs: the contract is attached; the finish date was Oct 1. Format: a short, friendly-but-firm email, under 120 words. Check: ask me anything you need first."
Result: an email you'd actually send.Each week has one habit, one thing to set up, and a sign that it's working.
Tap the one closest to you. You'll get three first handoffs, with a prompt for each.
Here's what my typical week looks like: [walk through Monday to Friday, including meetings, email, family logistics, and anything you dread]. Find the five tasks that take the most time and involve back-and-forth with other people. For each one, tell me how AI could handle it, what I'd need to connect, and what I'd still need to approve. Rank them by hours saved.
Thirty prompts across work, money, people, family, faith and home. Each one follows the formula from Chapter 4.
These come from Matt's own setup. They're grouped by how far along you need to be, so you can see the path from day one to "it runs while I sleep."
Who they are, what to ask, what they'll push back on, what to bring.
Contracts, statements, medical results. Five bullets, then what's missing or risky.
It asks questions until it can recommend, then argues against itself.
It plays the other person so you can practice before the real thing.
Checks texts, calls and email every hour and lists who's still waiting on you. Nobody falls through the cracks.
Reads the meeting recording, pulls out who promised what by when, and tracks it.
One early email: what matters today, what broke overnight, and the few decisions that need you.
"How did this week go?" answered from actual calls, texts, email and calendar, not memory.
Statements and documents named and filed the moment they arrive, ready for tax time.
Matches the same person across texts, email and notes into one accurate record, and never merges on a guess.
At 5:30 every morning: new subdivisions filed in Utah County, and which city meeting is worth attending.
Scans the country for 20 to 75 unit buildings that fit written investing rules. Fresh list by 4 AM.
Checks every investment against a target return each morning so the weak ones are obvious.
Hunting for a specific van or boat under a set price? It watches the listings and emails the best matches.
Each client's wish list gets its own page that checks listing sites daily and flags anything new.
A daily scan of new tools and news that keeps only what's worth a closer look.
County records, recent nearby sales, adjustments, and a branded report ready for a client.
A polished single-property site with every photo and a map, ready to text.
The invite, the RSVP list and the testing on phones and watches, built by describing what was needed.
Shelves of family books turned into a searchable archive, gaps filled in FamilySearch, and a family film in the works.
