A few months ago, I caught myself doing something strange.
I was finishing more work than ever - and still ending my days tired, scattered, and slightly uneasy. My task list was shrinking faster, but my attention felt thinner. I wasn’t overwhelmed in the obvious way. I was just… constantly on.
AI was everywhere in my workflow. Drafts, summaries, planning, rewrites. If something could be assisted, it was.
And yet, something wasn’t adding up.
AI wasn’t slowing me down.
But it wasn’t giving me the relief I expected either.
The Quiet Mistake Most of Us Make
When a tool is powerful, the instinct is simple: use it more.
That’s what I did. I let AI touch everything - emails, notes, ideas, decisions. It felt efficient. It looked productive. But slowly, my workdays filled with more outputs, more options, and more small decisions to manage.
That’s when I realized the problem wasn’t AI.
It was where I was applying it.
Productivity doesn’t increase just because execution gets faster. In fact, behavioral research shows that when work becomes cheaper, we quietly expand it. Standards rise. Volume grows. Slack disappears.
AI didn’t create this dynamic. It just accelerated it.
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The 80/20 Shift That Changed How I Work
The turning point was a simple reframe:
Most of AI’s productivity value comes from a small fraction of tasks.
Once I accepted that, everything became clearer.
Some uses of AI genuinely reduce mental strain.
Others only create the feeling of progress.
So I started separating the two.
The 80/20 Map of AI Productivity
The 80/20 Map
High-Leverage Uses (The Few That Matter)
These are the moments where AI reduces thinking friction:
Turning vague thoughts into clear structure
Breaking down complex problems before decisions are made
Summarizing dense material so context isn’t lost
Creating first drafts that give me something to react to
When AI helps me think better, the benefits compound.
Low-Leverage Uses (The Many That Don’t)
These feel productive, but rarely change outcomes:
Polishing small emails beyond necessity
Rewriting things that were already “good enough”
Generating extra outputs just because it’s easy
Automating tasks that didn’t deserve attention in the first place
This is where busyness sneaks back in.
Why This Feels So Counterintuitive
AI rewards motion.
Real productivity rewards judgment.
When something becomes faster, the temptation is to do more of it. But high performers don’t win by maximizing activity. They win by choosing carefully where attention goes.
That’s why two people can use the same tools and end up with very different outcomes—one calmer, one exhausted.
Same AI.
Different map.
The Question That Keeps Me Grounded
Now, before using AI, I pause and ask:
Will this reduce the number or difficulty of decisions I have to make later?
If the answer is yes, AI earns its place.
If not, I let the task stay simple.
That single question eliminated more noise than any new tool ever did.
A Final Thought
If AI currently makes your workday feel faster but heavier, nothing is wrong with you.
You’re just in the middle of a transition most people don’t notice yet.
Productivity doesn’t come from using AI everywhere.
It comes from using it where it actually changes the quality of your thinking.
Next issue, I’ll explore how this 80/20 map shifts as your role changes—from early career to leadership to building something of your own.
Until then:
Let AI lighten your thinking-not multiply your work.
Prompt N Productive
Helping you stay effective, not just busy, in an AI-augmented world