On any given day, I could be editing an article about women’s health, preparing a sponsorship proposal for an esports tournament, planning social media content, answering emails from PR agencies and troubleshooting something on a website. And that’s before I’ve even looked at the rest of my to-do list.
As the founder of The Wellness Insider, a digital wellness publication I started in 2016, and the Chief Marketing Officer of Proving Grounds, a gaming and esports company, I wear several hats. While I work with other people on various projects, much of the day-to-day marketing and editorial work falls on me.
I’ve often joked that I need a clone of myself. Preferably one that doesn’t need sleep, coffee breaks or an annual leave entitlement.
I haven’t figured out how to clone myself, but AI has become the closest thing I have to an additional team member. (Although my friend Sabrina will wax lyrical about her digital twin Seraphina just about now.) And unlike the productivity tools I’ve used over the years, it has genuinely changed how I work.
The problem with being a team of one
When you’re running a business with limited resources, you don’t necessarily have fewer responsibilities than a larger organisation. You simply have fewer people to share them with.
The Wellness Insider needs a steady flow of articles, newsletters, social media content and partnerships. Proving Grounds requires marketing campaigns, sponsorship outreach, event communications and community engagement. Both businesses serve completely different audiences, which means I can’t simply replicate the same marketing approach across them.
Before AI became part of my daily workflow, I would spend considerable time drafting content, organising ideas and switching between tasks. Writing, in particular, takes more time than people sometimes realise.
Even when you know exactly what you want to say, there’s the process of structuring the information, finding the right opening, refining the language and adapting it for different audiences. Multiply that by several articles, emails and social media posts, and a significant portion of the day disappears.
AI hasn’t eliminated those tasks, but it has changed how I approach them.
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I no longer have to start everything from scratch
One of my most frequent uses of ChatGPT is writing. For The Wellness Insider, I receive press releases from brands, PR agencies and organisations covering everything from healthcare developments to wellness events.
Some releases are already well written. Others contain lengthy corporate descriptions, repetitive quotes or promotional language that doesn’t suit an editorial publication. Previously, I would spend time restructuring the information and rewriting the content into something more useful for readers.
Now, I can provide the press release, explain the editorial direction and ask AI to prepare a first draft. I still review the facts, refine the language and decide what deserves emphasis. But I don’t have to spend as much time transforming raw information into a readable article.
The same applies to newsletters, social media posts and business correspondence. If I’ve written an article for The Wellness Insider, I can use AI to help adapt it into a LinkedIn post, a shorter Telegram update or a newsletter introduction.
Each platform requires a slightly different approach, but the initial restructuring happens much faster. What used to feel like several separate writing assignments can now become one editorial process with multiple outputs. For someone who spends a substantial amount of time creating content, that’s a meaningful improvement.
My brainstorming partner is always available
Beyond writing, I use AI as a sounding board. Sometimes, I have a fairly clear idea of what I want to do but need help organising it. Other times, I want someone to challenge an idea or suggest an alternative approach.
For Proving Grounds, I’ve used AI to develop marketing calendars, brainstorm campaign concepts and structure sponsorship outreach. One recent example involved planning a campaign for a gaming mascot.
What initially sounded like a straightforward exercise (introduce the mascot, shortlist names and let the community vote) required more thought once we started considering the execution. When should we invite name suggestions? How long should voting remain open? What should each social media post communicate? How do we encourage participation without repeating the same message?
AI helped me work through the campaign sequence, draft captions and develop creative briefs. But the decisions weren’t always straightforward.
There were occasions when the proposed content felt repetitive or the suggested approach didn’t quite fit what we wanted. I had to question the recommendations, change the direction and refine the plan.
That’s one of the things I appreciate about using AI for brainstorming. I don’t have to accept the first suggestion. I can ask why a particular approach might work, challenge the assumptions behind it and explore alternatives.
Of course, AI doesn’t have personal experience of my audience or the relationships we’ve built within the gaming community. Those are considerations I still have to bring into the conversation. It’s a brainstorming partner, not the final decision-maker.
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AI has also made business development less daunting
Business development is another area where AI has been useful. When you’re managing multiple responsibilities, following up with potential clients and partners can easily fall behind more urgent operational work. Yet those conversations are essential to growing a business.
For The Wellness Insider, I regularly receive partnership enquiries and media pitches. Some are relevant editorial opportunities, while others are better suited to paid collaborations. AI helps me organise my responses, articulate the value of our advertising options and prepare proposals that are tailored to the enquiry.
For Proving Grounds, I’ve used it to structure sponsorship proposals and identify how different types of brands might benefit from supporting an esports event. A gaming hardware company, for example, may have different partnership objectives from a food and beverage brand. The pitch needs to reflect that distinction.
AI can help develop the initial proposal, but it can’t replace the judgement involved in deciding which opportunities are worth pursuing or how to negotiate a partnership. It also doesn’t replace the relationships I’ve spent years building. What it does is reduce the time spent preparing the material, allowing me to concentrate more on the actual conversations.
The catch: I still have to manage my new team member
As much as I love using AI, it isn’t a case of giving an instruction and accepting whatever comes back. I’ve learnt that vague instructions tend to produce vague results.
If I ask for a social media caption without explaining the brand, audience or objective, I’m likely to receive something generic.
The Wellness Insider has a very different voice from Proving Grounds. One focuses on practical wellness information, while the other operates in the gaming and esports space. I have to provide enough context for AI to understand those differences.
I also need to be clear about what I don’t want. For example, I may want a professional sponsorship email without excessive flattery, or a social media caption that sounds engaging without resorting to clichés.
Sometimes, I have to correct the tone, ask for a shorter version or point out that the suggested approach isn’t realistic. And yes, there are occasions when I find myself repeating instructions I’ve already given.
It’s rather like managing an enthusiastic junior colleague who can produce work at remarkable speed but still needs guidance and supervision. Except, unlike an actual colleague, AI doesn’t take responsibility for the consequences of its recommendations.
If an email is poorly worded, a campaign is badly planned or an article contains inaccuracies, the responsibility is still mine.
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Am I actually saving time, or just doing more?
This is something I’ve started thinking about as AI becomes increasingly integrated into my work. There’s no question that it helps me complete certain tasks faster.
Writing first drafts, preparing marketing plans and organising information now take less time than they used to. But I haven’t necessarily found myself with significantly more free time.
Instead, I’ve been able to take on projects that I might previously have postponed or avoided. A marketing campaign that would have required hours of planning becomes more manageable. A business proposal that might have sat on my to-do list for several days can be developed more quickly.
And because I know AI can help, I’m sometimes more willing to attempt something ambitious. That’s both a benefit and a potential trap.
Just because AI makes it possible to produce more work doesn’t mean every additional task is worth doing. I still have to consider whether a project contributes to the business, whether the effort is justified and whether I’m stretching myself too thin.
Productivity isn’t simply about producing more output. For a solopreneur, it should also mean making better use of limited time and energy.
I don’t need AI to replace me. I need it to support me
I don’t believe AI has made my professional experience irrelevant. If anything, using it effectively has reinforced how important that experience is.
My background in marketing helps me recognise when a campaign recommendation is weak. My editorial experience helps me identify what needs rewriting. My understanding of the businesses helps me decide which opportunities are worth pursuing.
Without that judgement, I could easily end up producing more content, more proposals and more marketing plans without necessarily achieving better results.
AI is particularly useful because I already know what I’m trying to accomplish. It helps me get from an idea to something workable faster. And for someone managing several responsibilities without a large team, that makes a difference.
I still have to set the direction, make decisions, review the work and occasionally remind my digital assistant what we agreed on five minutes ago. But I’m no longer staring at a long to-do list wondering how I’m going to get everything done by myself.
I have help.
It may not be the clone I once wished for, but it’s a pretty useful alternative.
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of e27.
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