Automation. It’s a type of buzzwords that both fills you with pleasure or dread, relying in your perspective. For me, the thought of handing off routine duties to AI felt thrilling.
However after I truly took the leap and automatic about 80% of my workload utilizing ChatGPT, I wasn’t positive what would occur subsequent. Would I all of the sudden turn into redundant? Would my boss catch on instantly and accuse me of dishonest my approach by my job?
The reality was shocking.
How did I begin this experiment?
A couple of months in the past, I discovered myself buried beneath repetitive duties: drafting emails, scheduling social media posts, conducting preliminary analysis for articles, and responding to generic reader questions. It wasn’t intellectually difficult, and I felt like I used to be spending far an excessive amount of time on actions that didn’t make the most effective use of my abilities.
That’s after I got here throughout ChatGPT. I had already heard loads about how AI may tackle mundane duties, however may it actually deal with my work successfully?
I began small, cautiously testing the waters by automating electronic mail responses and primary article analysis. Rapidly, I turned hooked. Duties that when consumed hours every week had been all of the sudden accomplished in minutes.
What did my boss first discover?
You may assume my boss would discover instantly, proper? Not precisely.
Initially, what stood out wasn’t the automation itself however reasonably my elevated productiveness. “Claire, you’re on a roll these days,” she commented throughout our weekly catch-up. She attributed this to elevated motivation or maybe simpler time administration. There wasn’t even a touch of suspicion about AI involvement.
As a substitute of scrutinizing my strategies, she merely seen I used to be turning round assignments quicker and with fewer errors. If something, my improved accuracy and productiveness led her to assign me higher-profile tasks.
Did the standard of my work change?
Considered one of my issues was whether or not automating duties would have an effect on the standard of my work. Would counting on an AI diminish the depth of my analysis or creativity in my writing?
Surprisingly, the alternative occurred. With routine duties offloaded, I discovered extra power and time for deeper, extra significant evaluation. My items turned richer, extra insightful, and extra partaking—precisely what readers valued most.
A current examine helps this. Researchers discovered that staff who automate repetitive duties typically expertise vital beneficial properties in creativity and important considering. I can completely verify this was true in my expertise.
Did my boss finally catch on?
Sure and no. Whereas she didn’t particularly determine that I used to be utilizing ChatGPT, she did discover a definite shift in how I managed my workflow.
About two months in, she lastly requested, “Claire, you’ve been persistently forward of deadlines and your work is superb—what’s your secret?”
At that second, I made a decision to be clear. “I’ve automated some routine components of my workflow,” I confessed, bracing for her response. As a substitute of alarm, she was intrigued. She requested me to exhibit how I used to be utilizing the know-how, genuinely impressed by the chances.
How did my colleagues reply?
Curiously, colleagues had been extra curious than cautious. Phrase unfold shortly, and shortly sufficient, I used to be operating casual workshops displaying others how ChatGPT may streamline their workflow.
Nevertheless, just a few colleagues remained skeptical, fearful automation may result in job losses. This response is comprehensible; a 2023 McKinsey report highlighted that about 30% of duties throughout industries might be automated by present know-how. However what my colleagues and I found was much less about job substitute and extra about job enhancement.
Fairly than AI taking our roles, it freed us to deal with duties that genuinely required human perception, creativity, and empathy—abilities that ChatGPT merely couldn’t replicate totally.
What about my job satisfaction?
My experiment didn’t simply alter my productiveness—it positively impacted my general job satisfaction. With mundane duties minimized, I felt extra obsessed with my work and skilled much less burnout.
It seems automation isn’t merely a approach to save time; it’s additionally about preserving psychological power. With fewer repetitive duties, I had the house to have interaction extra deeply and meaningfully with my work.
Last ideas
Earlier than I am going, right here’s what I’ve discovered from automating nearly all of my job: transparency and adaptableness matter. Automation isn’t about hiding behind AI to get work carried out quietly—it’s about embracing instruments that allow us excel on the components of our jobs that really matter.
My boss didn’t penalize me for my automation experiment. As a substitute, she acknowledged it as innovation, praising the improved outcomes. As workplaces proceed evolving, embracing instruments like ChatGPT doesn’t imply changing folks—it means permitting them to thrive.