Find 30 minutes

Most of us don't lose time in big chunks. We lose it in small, repeated bits of admin: checking the same inbox eight times, rewriting similar emails, hunting for the same form, reminding people of the same things.

Those bits are hard to spot because they're spread across the week. That's where an AI assistant can help. It can be good at looking at a list of what you did and noticing patterns you're too close to see.

This guide walks you through a simple, three-step exercise. It takes about 20 minutes, and the aim is modest: find 30 minutes a week you'd rather spend on something else.

What you'll need

• An AI assistant, such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot or Claude. The free plans are fine.
• A rough record of a normal week. This could be a list you jot down as you go, your calendar, or simply your best memory of last week.

Step 1Write down your week (roughly)

Spend ten minutes listing the regular tasks that fill your working week, or your home week, or both. Don't aim for perfection. Include the small things, because that's where the time hides. For example:

• check and reply to emails, several times a day
• write the weekly update for the team
• chase two or three people for things they owe me
• book meetings, move meetings, rebook meetings
• sort out the family calendar and after-school clubs
• look up the same information for customers or parents

Add a rough time next to each if you can: "about 15 minutes a day", "an hour on Fridays".

Step 2Ask the AI to spot the patterns

Copy this message (often called a "prompt") into a new chat, and replace [paste your list] with your own list:

Here's a rough list of my regular tasks in a typical week, with approximate times.

[paste your list]

Please:

1. Group these into themes and estimate the total time each theme takes per week.
2. Point out any tasks that are repeated, duplicated or could be batched together.
3. Suggest up to five realistic ways to save 30 minutes a week. For each one, tell me how much time it might save and how hard it is to set up.

I'm not technical, so keep the suggestions simple. Things like templates, batching and saved replies are ideal. I'm [a primary school office manager / a self-employed plumber / a parent working part-time].

Saying what you do for a living (or your situation at home) makes a real difference. The suggestions for a plumber and a school office manager should be quite different.

Step 3Pick one change and try it for a week

You'll probably get a sensible mix of ideas, such as:

• Batch your inbox. Check email at set times, three times a day, instead of constantly.
• Save template replies for the questions you answer every week.
• One weekly message instead of five. Replace several small updates with one round-up.
• A standard meeting slot so you're not rearranging times by email.
• A shared family calendar so you're not the only person who knows where everyone needs to be.

Choose one change, the easiest one, and try it for a week. Then come back to the same chat and tell the AI how it went:

I tried batching my emails. It saved time but I missed an urgent message on Tuesday. Can you suggest a way round that?

It can also help you with the change itself. For example:

Here are the three questions parents ask me most about school dinners: [question 1], [question 2], [question 3]. Write a short, friendly template reply for each.

Remember to add names and details yourself afterwards.

Keep expectations realistic

• The time estimates are guesses. The AI only knows what you've told it, so treat its numbers as rough.
• Not every suggestion will suit you. Some will clash with how your workplace runs, or simply won't feel right. That's fine; skip them.
• Small is the point. Thirty minutes a week is 26 hours a year, and nobody has to learn anything complicated to get it.

The human bit

The AI can spot the pattern. You decide what's worth changing, and what's worth keeping, because some of the "admin" in a week is really about people, and that's rarely time wasted. Try one small change, see how it feels, and build from there.