AI is making a lot of things easier.
We can research faster, write faster, analyse information faster, automate tasks and turn an idea into something tangible in a fraction of the time it once took.
And there’s good evidence that AI can genuinely save us time. But I’ve been thinking about another side of this.
What happens to the capacity we create?
I see it in my own business. I’ll sit down with my Chatty Chat (ChatGPT) to work through one idea. Maybe it’s an article. I’ll brain dump my ideas, we’ll develop the idea, sharpen the argument and get somewhere I’m really happy with.
Then come the possibilities.
This could be a podcast episode.
Or a downloadable resource.
There’s a keynote angle in here.
Maybe a workshop.
Actually, this could make a great TED-style talk…
Suddenly, the one thing I came in to create has become five things I could create.
And therein lies the challenge.
AI doesn’t just create capacity. It creates possibility.
It makes more things possible, faster. That can be incredibly valuable. But more possibilities also mean more decisions about what deserves our time, energy and attention.
And I think that matters enormously for leaders.
Because if every bit of capacity we create is immediately filled with another task, another idea or another opportunity, we may become significantly more productive without necessarily becoming more effective.
We can do more. But are we doing more of what actually matters?
I’ve worked with leaders and business owners around busyness for years, and one of the things I’ve learned is that busyness is often behavioural.
Some of us are drawn to new ideas. Some love being needed. Some struggle to say no. Some keep adding without stopping anything. Others spend so much time reacting that there’s very little room left to think.
AI doesn’t necessarily change those behaviours. It can accelerate them.
Give an ideas person a tool that can generate 20 possibilities in seconds and you can probably guess what happens next. (I speak from experience!)
Which is why I think one of the most valuable leadership capabilities in an AI-enabled world may have very little to do with technology.
It’s judgement.
Knowing what deserves your attention.
Knowing what not to pursue.
Knowing when something being possible doesn’t make it a priority.
And being deliberate about what you do with the capacity you’ve created.
Perhaps the question isn’t simply, How much time can AI save me?
It’s: What am I choosing to do with the time it gives me back?
Because more capacity without better choices doesn’t necessarily create a better business, a better team or a better working life.
And that’s something I’m going to be exploring in much more depth at Fresh Networking, where I’ll be speaking about AI, busyness and what we’re actually doing with the time technology promises to give us back.
I’ll also share some practical ways to recognise the behaviours keeping us busy and make more deliberate choices about where our time goes.
Where The Hell Did My Time Go? Ai, Busyness and Taking Back Your Day
7th October 12:30PM – 3:30PM
Terminus Hotel, 492 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North
If you’re in Melbourne, I’d love to see you there.