US entrepreneur turns to AI for productivity, ends up with 156 tasks on daily to-do l

A US entrepreneur has shared how her daily to-do l unexpectedly grew to 156 tasks, prompting her to rethink the way she uses artificial intelligence (AI) assants to manage her workload. She warned that while AI tools can improve productivity, they can also create additional work instead of helping people complete exing tasks.A US entrepreneur reduced her daily task target to 25 after AI-assed planning left her with 156 to-do items. (Instagram/morissa_schwartz)(Also read: Indian-origin CEO in US wakes up as early as 3 am, works 6 days a week but rejects Silicon Valley’s ‘996’ culture)Dr. Morissa Schwartz, an entrepreneur, author and AI strateg, shared her experience in an article for Fortune.”I opened my daily to-do l and found 156 items,” she wrote.Schwartz, who founded GenZ Publishing and communications firm Dr. Rissy’s Writing & Marketing, holds a doctorate in literature and was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 l in Media in 2022.When AI creates more workSchwartz explained that her responsibilities include managing manuscripts, emails, projects and adminrative tasks. However, she realised that many items on her l overlapped, while others were simply reminders about exing reminders.”I had asked for help getting work done. I was getting very good at maintaining evidence that work exed,” she wrote.Although she remains a strong supporter of AI, Schwartz highlighted an important limitation of digital assants.According to her, asking an AI assant to organise a project can generate a plan, followed checkls and additional tasks. While each suggestion might appear useful individually, the combined workload can become overwhelming.She argued that creating plans should not be confused with completing actual work.Entrepreneur introduces new productivity rulesFollowing the experience, Schwartz decided to change how she manages tasks with AI assance.She now aims to limit her weekday l to approximately 25 meaningful entries, while prioritising genuine deadlines and essential responsibilities.”If everything is due today, the l has stopped helping me decide what to do today,” she explained.She also wants related activities grouped together rather than scattered across multiple entries.Another important change involves requiring evidence of completed work. For instance, an assant claiming to have sent an email should provide confirmation, while published content should have a working link.Schwartz also wants AI assants to identify specific obstacles rather than simply reporting that a task cannot be completed.(Also read: Entrepreneur compares $600-a-night US hotel breakfast with India, says ‘difference is huge’)Most importantly, she believes productivity should be measured through actual outcomes, such as completed projects, submitted pitches and delivered assignments, rather than the number of tasks generated.Despite the experience, Schwartz said she remains optimic about AI’s potential to simplify work.”I would just like my to-do l to stop recruiting,” she concluded.