How Using AI at Work Gives Me My Time (and Joy) Back

Here’s the plot twist nobody prepared me for: the more AI I use at work, the more human I feel outside of it. I know it sounds like the kind of line you’d see on a Twitter thread posted at 2am, but it’s real.

AI hasn’t replaced my work, it’s replaced my busywork, and that tiny shift is exactly what’s given me space to pour into the things I really care about, like my Substack that somehow grew to 9.8K subscribers, my borderline addiction to books, the YouTube channel I’m finally starting, and the very underrated act of simply being present with my people.

This isn’t a “quit your job and start a commune in the woods” moment. It’s the opposite: I’m doing the same job, with the same goals, just smarter. And you can do the same.

AI Made Work… Not Easier, but Lighter

I’m not clocking fewer hours; I’m clocking fewer draining hours. There’s a difference. I started treating AI like a coworker, and suddenly my day shifted. For example:

• ChatGPT drafts the skeleton of briefs, outlines, reports, and ad copy so I’m not staring at a blank doc like it personally wronged me.

• Canva lets me produce clean social content, shaving off tons of time instead of spiraling in a design hole for hours.

• Notion + automations keep everything organized so I don’t lose half my day digging around for that one file I definitely named “FINAL_FINAL_v6.”

The work still happens. I still steer the ship, but I’m no longer rowing manually across the Atlantic, and that change matters, because it gave me back the energy I used to burn on tasks that didn’t require talent, just time.

More Time Means More Me

When AI took over my repetitive workflows, I got something back that people rarely talk about: mental spaciousness.

That’s what I use to really write. Not “squeezed-in jotting notes at midnight,” but writing with clarity, excitement, and a brain that actually feels turned on. My Substack isn’t just a side project; it’s a place where I get to think, experiment, tell stories, and build a little corner of the internet that feels like mine. And having nearly 10K people subscribed still blows my mind every time I hit “publish.” That, however, only stayed fun because I have the capacity to pour into it without burning out.

It’s the same with reading. It turns out I am still someone who reads books (plural) when work isn’t draining the last 3% of my social battery, and then there’s the thing I’ve been wanting to do for a while: start a YouTube channel about books. AI didn’t magically produce the channel for me, it just made the space so the idea stopped feeling exhausting before I even tried. 

The Best Part? This Isn’t a Special-Skill Thing

Nothing I’m doing requires insider knowledge or being “that tech person.” I’m just someone who got tired of tasks stealing all the energy I wanted to spend on the things that actually make me feel alive. If you want to take this route too, here’s the playbook that helped me:

1. Pick the tasks that drain you most.
For me, it was blank-page writing, rephrasing the same info 100 times, and digging for assets.

2. Set up a simple AI system.
A handful of workflows is all you need:

• ChatGPT for outlines, drafts, and phrasing

• Canva for fast branded graphics

• Notion for organizing tasks and automating reminders

3. Protect the time you get back.
This part is underrated. Don’t refill the gap with more work unless you’re intentionally leveling up. Use that reclaimed energy to pour into passions, creativity, people, rest, and whatever makes your life feel like a life.

4. Let your outside-of-work self matter just as much as your work self.
AI isn’t here so you can work faster and then take on more work. It’s here so you can work smarter and then take on yourself.

I Refuse to Let Work Eat the Part of Me That Writes

My favorite thing about this whole shift is that I’m no longer choosing between being productive and being a person. I can finish a project at 5pm, close my laptop, and start reading with the kind of peace that comes from knowing I did good work in a shorter amount of time, not because I hustled harder, but because I offloaded the things that didn’t require my brain to be brilliant.

When I’m outlining a Substack essay, I’m energized, not wiped out. When I’m shooting a quick video about the latest book I’m obsessed with, I’m present, not mentally half-zoned out from a grind. When I’m with friends or family, I’m fully there, not silently running through tomorrow’s to-do list.

AI Didn’t Give Me Less Work. It Gave Me More Life.

We talk about AI like it’s a threat, a cheat code, a shortcut, or a corporate takeover, but here’s my take: it can be a tool that gives you back the time and energy you didn’t even realize you were losing.

The version of me that exists now, the one who reads more, writes more, and dreams more, only exists because my workflow finally stopped feeling like dragging a weighted sled. You don’t have to become a productivity guru. You don’t have to automate your entire life. You just have to take one piece of your workflow and hand it off.

Let it give you back some room to breathe, then decide what to fill that space with. Your creativity, your relationships, your curiosity, or maybe a version of you that you haven’t had energy to meet yet; let that be the start.