May 22, 2025 • 41 mins
Episode #136: How to Seamlessly Integrate Asana with AI Tools for Your Business
If you're dreaming of saving 10+ hours a week (without hiring a full team), this one’s for you.
In this final episode of the Automated Systems That Scale mini-series, we’re taking your Asana setup to the next level by integrating it with smart AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Zapier, and Make.
Whether you’re a team of one or managing a growing business, these automations will help you create your own digital operations manager, so your business runs efficiently even when you’re offline.
Get ready to turn your business chaos into a streamlined, scalable machine.
✨ NOTE: This is part 4 of the Automated Systems That Scale series, where you’ll learn how to build a streamlined business using smart project management and AI-powered automation tools, one step at a time.
IN THIS EPISODE, I COVER:
➔ How to connect Asana with ChatGPT and Claude using Zapier or Make
➔ Real-world workflows that save hours each week using AI for project planning, SOP creation, and client communication
➔ How to build your own digital operations manager (even if you’re not tech-savvy)
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
📌 Tame Your Business Chaos Toolkit (just $27!)
📌 Claude AI
📌 ChatGPT
📌 Zapier
📌 Make
📌 Asana
RELATED EPISODES OF TECH SAVVY 101:
🎙️ Episode #133: Asana Tutorial: How to Automate 24 Hours of Work Each Week
🎙️ Episode #134: Setting Up Asana for Small Business: Small Business Setup Guide & Automation Tips
🎙️ Episode #135: How to Turn Your Asana Project Management System onto Autopilot
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
01:41 – Integrating AI with Asana
03:53 – Discovering AI Integration
05:00 – Using Zapier and Make for Automation
07:51 – Advanced AI Tools: ChatGPT and Claude
10:16 – Creating a Prompt Library
11:37 – Automating SOPs and Documentation
14:40 – Client Intake and Project Briefs
16:25 – Improving Processes with AI
17:55 – The Digital Operations Manager
22:12 – Connecting All Your Tools
29:30 – Real Numbers: Time and Money Saved
36:06 – Steps to Implementing AI Systems
39:28 – Conclusion and Recap
📲 Send us a text! Let us know what AI + Automation Topics you want to learn about next!
LET'S CONNECT
📺 YouTube
📱 Instagram
🖥️ Website
💻 Facebook Group
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah Baker (00:48):
Hey there.
Welcome back to Tech Savvy 101: AI Automation Made Simple. (00:49):
undefined
I'm your host, Sarah Baker, yourtech savvy bestie, who's here to
help you simplify your business,embrace automation and save
hours every week.
Today, I am beyond excited tobring you the final episode in
our"Automated Systems thatScale" miniseries.
If you've been following along,we've taken quite a journey
(01:12):
together.
In episode one, we talked aboutwhy automation matters and how
you can reclaim up to 24 hoursper week using a project
management system like Asana.
In episode two, we rolled up oursleeves and actually set up your
Asana workspace with all ofthose time saving rules and
recurring tasks.
(01:32):
Then in episode three, we wenton a full on automation ninja
path with advanced workflows andcross project integrations.
And now in our final episode inthis miniseries, we're taking
everything to the next level byadding artificial intelligence
into the mix.
(01:53):
I'm talking about integratingpowerful AI tools like ChatGPT
and Claude.
With all those beautiful Asanaworkflows that we've already
built together.
Here's the thing.
I had one of those holy cowmoments a few months ago when I
realized how much of my workweek I was spending doing what I
(02:15):
call"business housekeeping." I'msure you know what I mean.
I'm talking about checkingproject statuses, updating
clients, and reviewing whatneeded to happen next week.
It was taking me about half aday each week.
Just planning what I needed todo and honestly, I was getting a
(02:35):
little bit burnt out by it.
Then I figured out how tocombine AI with my Asana system,
and now my business is literallyworking for me, even when I am
out of office.
I wake up every morning to findthat what used to be chaos,
requiring me to spend the firsthour or two each day sorting
(02:57):
through emails andnotifications, checking on the
status of projects, and figuringout what needed my attention
most urgently, is already justhandled.
It's like having the world'smost efficient business manager
or VA who never sleeps.
So by the end of today'sepisode, you are also going to
(03:18):
have a roadmap for creating yourown AI enhanced business
ecosystem.
And don't worry, I'm gonna keepthis super practical and simple
just like we've done throughoutthis entire series.
So let's dive in.
Okay, let's talk about combiningthe project management power of
Asana with the intelligence ofAI tools like ChatGPT and
(03:41):
Claude.
And before you start thinking,"this sounds way too technical
for me," stick with me.
I promise this is gonna be waymore approachable and easy to
set up than you think.
I actually discovered thisintegration by accident.
Picture this.
I was sitting at my desk on aThursday night.
I had just spent three hourscreating a detailed launch plan
(04:06):
for a new course in Asana.
I love setting up a new project.
I.
It's the total nerd in me.
I was using all of thetechniques that we had talked
about in episode two of thismini series, breaking everything
down into tasks, setting updependencies, the whole nine
yards.
I was pretty proud of myself,honestly.
I was very excited.
(04:26):
Then the next week, one of mybusiness besties texted me and
said,"girl, I just used ChatGPTto create my entire launch plan
in like 10 minutes." And here Iam, the AI coach, and I'm like,
wait, what?
And that's when it hit me.
What if I could use AI togenerate these comprehensive
project plans and thenautomatically get them into my
(04:51):
beautifully organized Asanaworkspaces Game changer.
Mic drop.
So.
The bridge between using AItools and Asana comes through
integration platforms likeZapier or Make.
With these tools, you can createworkflows where you send a
(05:12):
specific prompt to ChatGPT, andthe output gets converted into
tasks or even entire projects inAsana automatically.
This goes beyond simplerecurring tasks and dependencies
that we set up in episode 134.
Now we're talking aboutgenerating intelligent, context
(05:33):
aware project structures.
So for example, let's say you'relaunching a new coaching
program.
Instead of manually creating allthe tasks, you could prompt
ChatGPT with:"create acomprehensive 90 day launch plan
for a new coaching programthat's targeting busy
(05:54):
entrepreneurs, includingpre-launch content creation,
marketing campaigns, salesfunnel setup, client onboarding
systems, and post-launchoptimization phases." ChatGPT
would then generate a detailedmulti-phase plan, giving you
specific tasks, suggestedtimelines, and even marketing
(06:14):
strategies.
Through your integration withZapier, or Make, this
comprehensive plan would flowdirectly into Asana as a
complete project structure,giving you the proper sections,
task dependencies, and even duedates.
So what used to take me half aday of strategic planning,
(06:35):
thinking through every step,organizing tasks by priority,
estimating timelines, now takeslike 10 minutes.
And AI generates that initialstructure.
And then I spend my time, myhuman brain, refining and
customizing rather than startingfrom scratch.
(06:56):
Did your brain just explode likemine did?
🤯Like I said, this is wheretools like Zapier and Make come
in.
Think of them like friendlytranslator tools.
Zapier or Make are like thefriend that speaks both
languages and they are thetranslator that helps everyone
communicate.
So here's how this works in reallife, if you're launching that
(07:19):
new coaching program, instead ofsitting there trying to remember
every single task you need to doand probably forgetting half of
them, or writing'em on a pieceof paper and then losing the
piece of paper, you can promptchat with something like, you
know, create the 90 day launchprogram and then Zapier or Make
is the connector that gets thatlist from chat into Asana
(07:42):
without you having to manuallybe the connector.
So it removes you as themiddleman.
Another great way to use AI isfor the heavy thinking.
So my favorite AI tool right nowis Claude.
Claude is really great atanalyzing complex documents and
(08:04):
extracting actionableinformation.
I also think Claude is a betterwriter.
Better writer.
So let me tell you about asituation that happened just
last month.
A potential client had sent mewhat could only be described as
a novel.
It was like a 15 page documentwith their project requirements
kind of all over the placethroughout the document.
(08:25):
Some, you know, on page two,some on page four, some on, you
know, way in the back on page12.
In between those sections, therewas a lot of background
information about their company,some different deliverables,
kind of all throughout thedocument.
Previously old me would havespent, you know, an hour reading
through this document with ahighlighter, printing it out,
trying to extract all theimportant information, hoping I
(08:47):
didn't miss any, you know, juicynuggets of information that I
really needed to know.
Knew me, uploaded it into Claudeand said,"please extract all the
deliverables, the deadlines, andthe requirements from this
document.
Organize it into a structuredproject plan with tasks,
subtasks and timelinerecommendations." Within, you
(09:08):
know, under a minute, Claude hadorganized it into a structured
breakdown that included not justlike the obvious stuff that
anyone could extract just fromskimming this document, but it
also caught additional, morenuanced or subtle things like
implied dependencies.
These are things we talked aboutin previous episodes, like tasks
(09:30):
that were dependent on othertasks being completed and
suggested a realistic timelinebased on kind of the scope of
this project.
So this organized breakdown thenflowed right into Asana, and I
was able to show up to thekickoff meeting with this client
looking like I had alreadyinvested hours in understanding
(09:53):
their really nuanced andspecific needs, because
technically I have, it's justthat Claude helped me do the
heavy lifting, which allowed meto use again, my human brain
really deciding and thinkingthrough how I could specifically
help this client.
I'm gonna share another littlesecret now that's gonna save you
(10:16):
a ton of time.
So inside of my asana, I havewhat I call my prompt library
where I have all of theinformation that I use on almost
a daily basis so that I have itavailable at my fingertips for
easy access.
These are the prompts I use mostoften.
Information about my brand, likemy brand voice.
(10:36):
So if for some reason my AIstarts not generating content in
my brand voice, I can quicklyre-prompt it with my brand voice
prompt and say,"Hey, thisdoesn't sound like me.
Can you make sure that this iswritten in my brand voice?" And
I'll just remind it gently ofwhat my brand voice prompt is.
(10:56):
And if you have not set up yourbrand voice, check the show
notes and I will link theepisode where I talked about how
to create your brand voice.
But if you have other promptsthat you find are working really
well, keep them all in oneplace.
And using your asana as a littlevault or a library to keep them
all in one place worksincredibly well.
(11:18):
The key is testing and tweakingthose prompts until they give
you consistently good results.
And then because they're all inone central place, anyone on
your team can access them andyou can all be consistently
using the same prompts.
Okay, so now can we talk aboutone of my least favorite
(11:40):
business tasks, documentation?
Now, I've covered this in aprevious episode.
I will link it down below, butSOPs, look, I know it's
important.
I know I've talked about itbefore.
I need it, you need it, butcreating SOPs and project briefs
and all of that stuff.
It's about exciting as watchingpaint dry, but here's where AI
(12:01):
has completely changed the gamefor me and for you, and I think
it's gonna blow your mind too.
You know those standardoperating procedures that you
know you should have, but younever seem to find the time to
create, even though I've toldyou that it doesn't have to be
hard.
Well, what if I told you thatyou could generate them
automatically just by doing yourwork?
(12:22):
And here's how this magichappens.
So when you create a process inAsana, let's just say you
finished onboarding a newclient, you tag that main task
with"process documentation."Then your automation is gonna
kick in and send all of the taskdetails, the subtasks, and any
(12:45):
comments or notes to ChatGPTwith a prompt, like"turn this
completed process into adetailed SOP that includes the
purpose, the step-by-stepinstructions and common issues
to watch out for and successmetrics." You could very easily
set this up.
I tried this out with a simpleprocess that I have about six
(13:08):
months ago, and honestly, itchanged everything.
So instead of having a growinglist of,"I should really
document this" hanging over yourhead, you just do your work
normally and the documentationcreates itself.
So even if you are a team ofone.
(13:28):
If at any point in the futureyou think you might bring on a
team member, hire a va, any ofthat, you need to be documenting
your processes, even if it'ssomething as simple as how you
create social media posts, howyou post to social media, how
you onboard your clients, all ofthese things you should have.
(13:51):
Processes, and it doesn't haveto be hard.
It doesn't have to be supercomplicated.
I highly recommend that youlisten to the episode where I
outlined what an SOP is and howto create them because it will
make it seem so much lessdaunting, and you do not need to
stop everything in your businessand be like, this week I am
(14:12):
creating SOPs for everythingthat I'm doing.
Because you can just create themas you go.
And by using this cool trick ofhaving Asana and AI make them
for you, it makes it even lessintimidating.
So you are out of excuses.
Officially, I'm putting you onnotice that you are out of
(14:33):
excuses as to why you don't haveSOPs in your business.
You have been warned.
Here is another game changer.
You know how when a new clientfills out an intake form for
your business, you usually haveall of that information and you
turn it into some kind oforganized project brief.
(14:53):
It takes forever, and you'renever sure if you're asking
maybe the right questions orpossibly missing something
important until you need thatinformation and you realize you
don't have it.
Well now when someone submitsyour client intake form.
All of that information can getsent directly to Claude or chat
with a sophisticated prompt,like"create a comprehensive
(15:15):
project brief based on theseclient requirements, include the
project scope, the deliverables,the timeline recommendations,
potential challenges that weshould prepare for success
metrics and a communicationplan." So the result of having
that information about thatclient sent immediately to AI
with a prompt like that, is thatyou're gonna get a professional,
(15:38):
thorough project brief thatcovers angles that you might not
have even thought of, and it'sautomatically added to your
Asana project before you evenhave that first client call,
which makes you look like afreaking rock star when you show
up to that first call.
That client is gonna come tothat call, hear the things you
have to say, and immediatelyknow that they made the right
(16:01):
decision to work with you.
I cannot tell you how manyclients have said things like,
"wow, you really understand ourneeds," or,"I can tell you've
put a lot of thought into this,"and little did they know, Claude
or Chat did the initialthinking, but I got to focus on
the relationship and thestrategy parts, aka, the human
(16:22):
parts that really matter.
Here is something else that usedto drive me crazy.
If someone on my team or like,let's be honest, me would have a
brilliant idea for improving aprocess, I get all excited about
it and maybe mention it in ameeting and then nada.
Because the idea would justpoof, disappear into the ether
(16:46):
because documenting processimprovements just felt like an
extra task that nobody had timefor being an entrepreneur or a
business owner.
You never have enough hours inthe day, right?
But now when anyone has animprovement idea, you can just
create a task in Asana and tagit with improvement idea.
(17:09):
It's like a digital suggestionbox.
The automation will grab thesuggestion and look at your
current process documentationand generate an updated
procedure that actuallyincorporates that improvement.
It is literally like having abusiness improvement fairy that
(17:29):
actually follows through on allthose great ideas instead of
letting them get lost in thechaos of running a business.
No more like jotting down ideasin the Notes app on your phone
or.
Putting it on a Post-it note ornote to self, or do this in two
years time.
Like this is how your businesswill improve by actually leaning
(17:52):
in to all of these great ideas.
All right, and here's wherethings really get exciting if
you can't tell.
I love all of these, but this isa really, really juicy one.
I want you to imagine having asuper efficient operations
manager who never takesvacation, never gets sick, and
is available 24-7 to keep yourbusiness running so smoothly.
(18:16):
I know it sounds too good to betrue, but that is essentially
what we're building when wecombine all of these AI tools
with your Asana system.
I call it my digital operationsmanager, and honestly, it has
been life changing.
Remember how I used to spendhalf a day or more each week
doing business housekeeping?
(18:37):
Well, now I wake up every Mondaymorning to what I call my
executive briefing.
And it's not just a boring listof tasks.
It's like having a really smartbusiness consultant who's been
analyzing everything in mybusiness overnight.
My Monday morning briefingincludes things like the most
important tasks for the day withcontext about why they're
(19:01):
critical.
Upcoming deadlines with a riskassessment like this project
historically takes 15% longerwhen it involves external
business partners.
Any bottlenecks that need myattention, along with suggested
solutions.
Client updates that needresponses prioritized by urgency
(19:22):
and performance insights likeyour team completed content
tasks 20% faster this week.
It arrives in my inbox at 7:00AM every Monday morning, and
it's like having a chief ofstaff who's reviewed everything
and is giving me my executivesummary.
I spend about five minutesreading it and I know exactly
(19:42):
how to prioritize my entire day.
I could set this up to arrive inmy inbox daily if I wanted.
It's completely customizable tomy business, and I have it set
up exactly the way I like it.
Here's something else that usedto keep me up at night was
making big business decisions.
Should I launch this newprogram?
(20:03):
Should I hire someone new?
Should I change my pricing?
I would go around in circlesmaking pro and con lists that
never seem to help, but now Ihave a structured system for
this.
So when I'm facing a significantbusiness decision.
I create a task in my businessdecisions project with the
question and all the relevantcontext I can think of.
(20:27):
Then I have AI analyzed thisinformation for me, along with
historical data from my otherAsana projects to give me pros
and cons based on similardecisions I've made.
Before potential outcomes withrealistic probability
assessments, resourcerequirements, and timeline
implications, and specificrecommendations with clear
(20:50):
reasoning.
Because there's so much data inmy Asana about my business, the
AI is able to give me the bigpicture about how I should move
forward instead of making anemotional decision, I'm able to
make a data backed decision.
And here's the best part, once Ido make that decision, the
(21:13):
system automatically creates allthe implementation tasks and
assigns them to the rightpeople.
So decisions actually turn intoaction instead of just sitting
in my head.
Let's talk about the Asanadashboard.
It's a pretty great place withall the project views and custom
fields that we set up in earlierepisodes, but when you add the
(21:36):
AI analysis on top of it, itbecomes this incredible business
intelligence tool.
Instead of just showing me thatthree projects are due next
week, it might flag thehistorically projects of this
type require 15% more time whenthey involve external business
partners and suggest thattimelines should be adjusted
(21:59):
before problems occur.
It's like having someoneconstantly monitoring your
business and tapping you on theshoulder to say, Hey, you might
wanna pay attention to thisbefore it becomes a problem.
Alright, now let's connecteverything together in an easy
way that doesn't make you loseyour mind.
Doesn't that sound refreshing?
(22:20):
I feel like this is the part ofrunning a business where most
people start to get overwhelmedbecause you've got your email,
your CRM, your accountingsoftware, your website, maybe
some social media schedulingtools, and the thought of making
them all work together soundslike a technical nightmare,
right?
(22:40):
But here's the thing.
When you do this thoughtfully,it actually is incredibly
freeing.
Instead of having to remember todo 17 different things, every
time something happens in yourbusiness, everything just flows
together automatically.
Let me tell you about one of myfavorite integrations.
(23:00):
When someone moves to thecontract signed stage in my CRM,
it doesn't just sit therewaiting for me to remember to do
something about it.
Instead, it triggers a beautifulcascade of actions.
I.
And I get that, that makes mesound really nerdy to describe
it that way, but it is, stickwith me.
(23:20):
First, it analyzes the newclient's information, their
industry, their project type,their team size, all, the juicy
details.
Then it creates a customizedonboarding sequence in Asana
with tasks that are specificallyrelevant to their situation.
Because there's no such thing asa one size fits all client,
right?
(23:40):
A tech startup gets differentonboarding tasks than a wellness
coach, right?
But it goes even deeper thanthat because the system is then
gonna look at my currentworkload and my capacity.
It's gonna consider the client'spreferred communication style,
which it's gonna pull from theirinitial intake form.
And it's even gonna look atfactors in things like upcoming
(24:02):
holidays, team vacation time,and it's gonna create a
realistic project timeline.
I know for me, I scale back, I.
On my schedule, when we come upon summer, I have three kids
under 10, and we spendapproximately 30 hours a week at
the pool because we're a swimteam family, so I adjust my
(24:23):
workload in the summer and Asanatakes that into consideration.
I work a couple hours in themorning, first thing in the
morning.
I know I'm one of thoseobnoxious.
Morning people.
I'm just naturally able to workto wake up early, don't hold it
against me, and then I work somein the afternoon when it's
ridiculously hot and we're homeafter the pool.
(24:44):
So I love that Asanaautomatically knows that my
workload and my capacity isdifferent in the summer when my
kids are home.
So what used to be thisoverwhelming, okay, new client,
now I need to do all of thesethings.
Moment is just handled.
The client gets an amazing,personalized experience, and I
(25:07):
get to focus on the actual workthat requires my human brain and
my personal touch points insteadof the administrative juggling.
Here is something else I want toaddress.
Asana is amazing and AI makes iteven more powerful, but it's not
gonna be the perfect tool forevery single thing in your
(25:29):
business, and that's completelyfine.
The goal here isn't to forceeverything into one platform.
The goal is to make all yourtools work together
intelligently while each onedoes what it's best at.
So if you're creating graphicsor websites or any kind of
visual content, you're probablygonna still want to use tools
(25:53):
like Canva or Figma or AdobeCreative Suite, because these
tools are built specifically fordesign work, and they're going
to be way better at that, thentrying to manage everything in
Asana.
But here's how you can make themwork beautifully together by
keeping your design briefs andfeedback in Asana for the
(26:15):
project management and creatingthe actual designs in that
specialized tool.
And then using automation toupdate Asana when the design
status changes.
So when the design graphics arecomplete, then you wanna update
that in Asana and say graphicscompleted so that everyone on
(26:38):
your team is aware that thegraphic is done.
So if your designer can work intheir preferred environment, but
everyone who's involved in theproject stays informed through
Asana plus AI can help togenerate those design briefs
based off of the client'srequirements and analyze
feedback patterns to suggestimprovements.
(27:00):
Additionally, one of the thingsI do is I always make sure to
link the completed files intothe project.
For easy access, so I'm notspending and wasting time
searching, searching, searchingthrough Canva or Figma, trying
to find, you know, version,version, version.
(27:21):
Final, final version five.
You know when when you've gotmultiple files and you've gone
through multiple revisions,nothing is more frustrating than
being unable to find the correctfile, so I make sure that
completed final versions arealways attached to the project
for easy access, and alsobecause I love using the Asana
(27:46):
mobile app, which makes it eveneasier to access those files
while I'm on the go.
Similarly with financial tools,if you're using QuickBooks or
other accounting systems, keepusing those.
Those tools are specificallybuilt for financial management,
and they're gonna handleinvoicing and expense tracking
and financial reporting.
(28:06):
Way better than a projectmanagement tool, but the magic
happens when you connect themintelligently.
So your accounting system couldtrigger project updates in Asana
when payments are received, orAsana could automatically
generate invoices when a projectmilestone is completed.
And then AI can analyze the datafrom both systems to help you
(28:28):
make better business decisions.
And if you're creating content,you might use tools like Canva
for graphics or loom for videos,or your email marketing
platform, wherever you sendemails from, or buffer for
social media scheduling.
Each of these tools is really,really good at its specific job,
so don't try to reinvent thewheel here.
(28:51):
The key is orchestrating themthrough your Asana system.
Content briefs get managed inAsana.
Assets get created in theirspecialized tool, and AI helps
you to optimize the workflow andthink of yourself as the
conductor of the system.
Your job is to connect all ofthe tools you are using in your
(29:12):
Asana platform, and then use AIto help you find where the wheel
needs to be greased, so tospeak, to make sure that your
entire business is runningsmoothly and help you suggest
where it could be even furtherimproved.
Let's talk about some realnumbers.
(29:32):
What is this actually going tosave you?
Because I know I've beenthrowing a lot of exciting ideas
at you, but let's get down tothe basics.
What does this AI enhancedsystem actually save you in
terms of time and money?
Because that's what reallymatters, right?
I'm gonna share some of my realnumbers from my own business
(29:54):
transformation because I thinkit'll help you to see what's
possible.
Before I added AI to my ownAsana system, I was spending
approximately eight hours everyweek on project planning and
creating briefs for clients,another six hours weekly on
status updates and clientcommunication About four hours.
(30:17):
On documentation and processimprovement and I gave the
example of setting up my newproject that took me three hours
from start to finish, andhonestly, I had happy clients,
but I wasn't getting that holycow, you know, blown away
feedback.
After implementing this AIenhanced ecosystem, my project
(30:38):
planning is now taking me abouttwo hours a week, down from
eight.
Status updates and clientcommunication is down to about
an hour weekly, from six.
Documentation is happeningautomatically as I work, so I
would say maybe 30 minutesweekly to refine and review,
down from four.
(31:00):
And new project set up, I wouldsay 45 minutes max.
Down from three hours.
My client satisfaction has alsonoticeably improved because
everything feels moreprofessional and more thorough,
and more customized.
So we're talking about goingfrom about 18 hours of
administrative work per week,down to about three and a half
(31:23):
hours.
So that is 14 and a half hoursthat I got back every single
week.
That's almost two work days.
And those are hours that I cannow spend on the tasks that only
humans can do.
And I've mentioned that multipletimes throughout this episode.
There are tasks that can be doneby AI and that can be automated,
(31:46):
and there are tasks that requireyour human brain.
So that's two days a week that Ican be spending on the human
brain activities.
And those are activities thatare directly income generating.
Let's also talk about thefinancial impact.
So if you value your time atabout$150 an hour, which is
honestly a conservative rate formost successful entrepreneurs,
(32:09):
that is$2,175 per week inreclaimed value.
That's huge.
I'm able to now spend thosealmost two days a week on high
value activities like businessdevelopment and actually working
with clients.
So here's what the numbers don'tcapture, the mental relief, it's
(32:31):
huge.
I used to have this constantbackground anxiety about whether
I was forgetting somethingimportant, whether I had
followed up with everyone.
Whether I had stayed on top ofall my projects and now I have
this sense of peace and quietconfidence that everything is
being handled.
(32:51):
I can actually be present inmeetings instead of constantly
multitasking and having half mybrain thinking about what tasks
I need to be working on as soonas the meeting is over, I can
take weekends off.
Without worrying that I'mmissing something important, I'm
a more present mother andpartner and friend.
And it is so reassuring to knowthat I can truly be off the
(33:15):
clock.
We recently went on a nine dayvacation to Disney World and I
did not check my email once.
And that to me was a massivevictory and win, that I was able
to be fully present with myfamily.
Not stressed about what my inboxwas gonna look like or what was
(33:37):
the state of my business when Igot home.
Because I knew it was handled,and that everything was gonna be
okay when I got back.
And it was.
And that was huge.
So here's how you can calculatethe potential return for your
own business.
Step one, track how much timeyou currently spend on
(33:58):
administrative tasks for oneweek.
I'm talking about things likeproject planning, status
updates, client communication,documentation, all the things
that need to happen, but don'tdirectly generate revenue.
Step two, estimate whatpercentage of that time could be
automated or AI enhanced and beconservative.
(34:22):
Maybe start with 50%.
Step three, multiply that timesavings by your effective hourly
rate.
And step four, consider theimplementation costs.
Most of the AI tools we'vetalked about cost around$20 a
month.
And integration tools likeZapier start around$20 a month
as well.
Now for most entrepreneurs Iwork with, even saving just five
(34:45):
hours per week pays for theentire system many times over.
And that's before we factor inthe improved client
satisfaction, better projectoutcomes, and your increased
capacity to take on more work orhigher value clients.
But here's the thing that reallygets me excited.
(35:07):
This system doesn't just saveyou time today, it compounds
over time.
So better systems allow you totake on more clients without
proportionally increasing yourworkload.
Higher quality project briefsand communication lead to better
client relationships andtherefore more referrals.
Consistent documentation meansyou can delegate more
(35:29):
effectively as you grow.
And in my case, the time savingsallowed me to increase my client
capacity by about 25%, whichactually improved the quality of
service.
So even just two additionalclients per year at$5,000 each
adds$10,000 to my revenue.
And that's on top of all theother time I've reclaimed for
(35:51):
other priorities.
And really, you can't even put amonetary value on the feeling of
calm and peace and the mentalload being lifted off of you.
All right, we've covered a lotof ground in this four part
series and I can practicallyfeel your excitement.
(36:12):
I know I am super jazzed aboutthis.
I also know that feeling whenyou're inspired and overwhelmed
at the same time, thinking, thisall sounds amazing, but where
the heck do I actually start?
So let me break this down intobite sized, non overwhelming
steps because that's how weactually make progress, right?
So first things first.
You do not need to implementeverything we've talked about in
(36:34):
these four episodes all at once.
In fact, please don't.
Because it'll all stress youout, and you'll probably give up
halfway through.
Instead, think about what'scausing you the most pain in
your business right now.
Are you spending half yourweekend doing project planning?
Then start with AI generatedproject briefs.
Are you constantly forgetting tofollow up with clients?
(36:56):
Then focus on automated statusupdates.
If you're drowning in repetitivetasks, then begin with the basic
Asana rules that we covered inthe second episode.
Pick one workflow, just one, andget that one working beautifully
before you move on to the nextthing.
Here's what I recommend that youdo for the first 30 days of
(37:17):
setting up your projectmanagement system.
In week one, if you haven'talready, set up your Asana
workspace using the foundationprinciples from the second
episode.
Don't worry about using AI yet.
Just get your projects organizedand create a few basic
automation rules.
I.
In the second week, pick onerepetitive task that drives you
(37:40):
freaking crazy and set up yourfirst AI integration.
Maybe it's generating contentcalendars or creating project
briefs.
Whatever it is, start simple andget comfortable with the
process.
It'll give you that quick winthat'll motivate you to keep
going.
In week three, I want you to addon one cross system integration.
(38:04):
Maybe it's connecting your emailto Asana or setting up those
automatic client notifications.
And in week four, I want you totake a step back and measure
what you've accomplished.
How much time have you saved?
What's working well and whatneeds tweaking?
Remember, this is like a living,breathing thing.
(38:25):
You are always makingadjustments and trying to
improve it.
And I wanna give you a littlereality check here.
Here's something that nobodytalks about.
The first few weeks ofimplementing these systems can
actually feel like more work,not less.
You're learning a new tool.
You're setting up workflows, andyour brain is having to think
about things differently.
(38:46):
This is normal.
I remember when I first started,around week two of my AI
integration journey.
I was sitting at my computer, itwas like nine or 10 o'clock at
night, and I was thinking, thisis supposed to make my life
easier.
Why does this feel so hard?
But I stuck with it.
You're setting up a new routine,you're learning a new skill.
(39:07):
By about the end of week four,everything started clicking for
me, so give yourself permissionto have a learning curve.
This is an investment in yourfuture self.
It is not an instant fix, butstick with it and your future
self will be so grateful thatyou did, because it is going to
make your life and running yourbusiness so much easier.
(39:28):
So as we close out this fourpart mini series, I wanna take a
moment to recap what we'vetalked about in each of the
episodes.
In the first episode, episode#133, We opened your eyes to
just how much time automationcould save you up to 24 hours
each week.
We talked about why this mattersso much for busy entrepreneurs,
and got you excited about thepossibilities.
(39:50):
In the second episode, episode#134, we rolled up our sleeves
and built your foundation.
We set up your Asana workspacestrategically, creating those
time saving automation rules,and establish the recurring
tasks and dependencies thateliminate repetitive work.
In the third episode, episode#135, we went full automation
(40:12):
ninja mode with advancedstrategies, cross project
workflows, and sophisticatedintegrations that can truly run
your business on autopilot.
And today, we added theintelligence layer that takes
everything to the next level.
We've talked about integratingAI tools that don't just follow
rules, but actually think,analyze, and make smart
(40:34):
decisions about your businessoperations.
The complete roadmap.
Thank you so much for joining meon this comprehensive journey
through automated systems thatscale.
If these episodes have providedvalue for you, I'd be so
grateful if you could subscribeand leave a review.
And if you're ready to implementthese strategies, but want some
(40:54):
hands-on guidance, I'd love tohelp you.
Check out my Tame Your BusinessChaos Toolkit at the link in the
show notes.
It's available for only$27 ifyou want a little bit of a boost
to help you get started withAsana.
Thank you so much for tuninginto Tech Savvy 101.
I'll see you really soon.
Hey there.
Welcome back to Tech Savvy 101: AI Automation Made Simple. (00:49):
undefined
I'm your host, Sarah Baker, yourtech savvy bestie, who's here to
help you simplify your business,embrace automation and save
hours every week.
Today, I am beyond excited tobring you the final episode in
our"Automated Systems thatScale" miniseries.
If you've been following along,we've taken quite a journey
(01:12):
together.
In episode one, we talked aboutwhy automation matters and how
you can reclaim up to 24 hoursper week using a project
management system like Asana.
In episode two, we rolled up oursleeves and actually set up your
Asana workspace with all ofthose time saving rules and
recurring tasks.
(01:32):
Then in episode three, we wenton a full on automation ninja
path with advanced workflows andcross project integrations.
And now in our final episode inthis miniseries, we're taking
everything to the next level byadding artificial intelligence
into the mix.
(01:53):
I'm talking about integratingpowerful AI tools like ChatGPT
and Claude.
With all those beautiful Asanaworkflows that we've already
built together.
Here's the thing.
I had one of those holy cowmoments a few months ago when I
realized how much of my workweek I was spending doing what I
(02:15):
call"business housekeeping." I'msure you know what I mean.
I'm talking about checkingproject statuses, updating
clients, and reviewing whatneeded to happen next week.
It was taking me about half aday each week.
Just planning what I needed todo and honestly, I was getting a
(02:35):
little bit burnt out by it.
Then I figured out how tocombine AI with my Asana system,
and now my business is literallyworking for me, even when I am
out of office.
I wake up every morning to findthat what used to be chaos,
requiring me to spend the firsthour or two each day sorting
(02:57):
through emails andnotifications, checking on the
status of projects, and figuringout what needed my attention
most urgently, is already justhandled.
It's like having the world'smost efficient business manager
or VA who never sleeps.
So by the end of today'sepisode, you are also going to
(03:18):
have a roadmap for creating yourown AI enhanced business
ecosystem.
And don't worry, I'm gonna keepthis super practical and simple
just like we've done throughoutthis entire series.
So let's dive in.
Okay, let's talk about combiningthe project management power of
Asana with the intelligence ofAI tools like ChatGPT and
(03:41):
Claude.
And before you start thinking,"this sounds way too technical
for me," stick with me.
I promise this is gonna be waymore approachable and easy to
set up than you think.
I actually discovered thisintegration by accident.
Picture this.
I was sitting at my desk on aThursday night.
I had just spent three hourscreating a detailed launch plan
(04:06):
for a new course in Asana.
I love setting up a new project.
I.
It's the total nerd in me.
I was using all of thetechniques that we had talked
about in episode two of thismini series, breaking everything
down into tasks, setting updependencies, the whole nine
yards.
I was pretty proud of myself,honestly.
I was very excited.
(04:26):
Then the next week, one of mybusiness besties texted me and
said,"girl, I just used ChatGPTto create my entire launch plan
in like 10 minutes." And here Iam, the AI coach, and I'm like,
wait, what?
And that's when it hit me.
What if I could use AI togenerate these comprehensive
project plans and thenautomatically get them into my
(04:51):
beautifully organized Asanaworkspaces Game changer.
Mic drop.
So.
The bridge between using AItools and Asana comes through
integration platforms likeZapier or Make.
With these tools, you can createworkflows where you send a
(05:12):
specific prompt to ChatGPT, andthe output gets converted into
tasks or even entire projects inAsana automatically.
This goes beyond simplerecurring tasks and dependencies
that we set up in episode 134.
Now we're talking aboutgenerating intelligent, context
(05:33):
aware project structures.
So for example, let's say you'relaunching a new coaching
program.
Instead of manually creating allthe tasks, you could prompt
ChatGPT with:"create acomprehensive 90 day launch plan
for a new coaching programthat's targeting busy
(05:54):
entrepreneurs, includingpre-launch content creation,
marketing campaigns, salesfunnel setup, client onboarding
systems, and post-launchoptimization phases." ChatGPT
would then generate a detailedmulti-phase plan, giving you
specific tasks, suggestedtimelines, and even marketing
(06:14):
strategies.
Through your integration withZapier, or Make, this
comprehensive plan would flowdirectly into Asana as a
complete project structure,giving you the proper sections,
task dependencies, and even duedates.
So what used to take me half aday of strategic planning,
(06:35):
thinking through every step,organizing tasks by priority,
estimating timelines, now takeslike 10 minutes.
And AI generates that initialstructure.
And then I spend my time, myhuman brain, refining and
customizing rather than startingfrom scratch.
(06:56):
Did your brain just explode likemine did?
🤯Like I said, this is wheretools like Zapier and Make come
in.
Think of them like friendlytranslator tools.
Zapier or Make are like thefriend that speaks both
languages and they are thetranslator that helps everyone
communicate.
So here's how this works in reallife, if you're launching that
(07:19):
new coaching program, instead ofsitting there trying to remember
every single task you need to doand probably forgetting half of
them, or writing'em on a pieceof paper and then losing the
piece of paper, you can promptchat with something like, you
know, create the 90 day launchprogram and then Zapier or Make
is the connector that gets thatlist from chat into Asana
(07:42):
without you having to manuallybe the connector.
So it removes you as themiddleman.
Another great way to use AI isfor the heavy thinking.
So my favorite AI tool right nowis Claude.
Claude is really great atanalyzing complex documents and
(08:04):
extracting actionableinformation.
I also think Claude is a betterwriter.
Better writer.
So let me tell you about asituation that happened just
last month.
A potential client had sent mewhat could only be described as
a novel.
It was like a 15 page documentwith their project requirements
kind of all over the placethroughout the document.
(08:25):
Some, you know, on page two,some on page four, some on, you
know, way in the back on page12.
In between those sections, therewas a lot of background
information about their company,some different deliverables,
kind of all throughout thedocument.
Previously old me would havespent, you know, an hour reading
through this document with ahighlighter, printing it out,
trying to extract all theimportant information, hoping I
(08:47):
didn't miss any, you know, juicynuggets of information that I
really needed to know.
Knew me, uploaded it into Claudeand said,"please extract all the
deliverables, the deadlines, andthe requirements from this
document.
Organize it into a structuredproject plan with tasks,
subtasks and timelinerecommendations." Within, you
(09:08):
know, under a minute, Claude hadorganized it into a structured
breakdown that included not justlike the obvious stuff that
anyone could extract just fromskimming this document, but it
also caught additional, morenuanced or subtle things like
implied dependencies.
These are things we talked aboutin previous episodes, like tasks
(09:30):
that were dependent on othertasks being completed and
suggested a realistic timelinebased on kind of the scope of
this project.
So this organized breakdown thenflowed right into Asana, and I
was able to show up to thekickoff meeting with this client
looking like I had alreadyinvested hours in understanding
(09:53):
their really nuanced andspecific needs, because
technically I have, it's justthat Claude helped me do the
heavy lifting, which allowed meto use again, my human brain
really deciding and thinkingthrough how I could specifically
help this client.
I'm gonna share another littlesecret now that's gonna save you
(10:16):
a ton of time.
So inside of my asana, I havewhat I call my prompt library
where I have all of theinformation that I use on almost
a daily basis so that I have itavailable at my fingertips for
easy access.
These are the prompts I use mostoften.
Information about my brand, likemy brand voice.
(10:36):
So if for some reason my AIstarts not generating content in
my brand voice, I can quicklyre-prompt it with my brand voice
prompt and say,"Hey, thisdoesn't sound like me.
Can you make sure that this iswritten in my brand voice?" And
I'll just remind it gently ofwhat my brand voice prompt is.
(10:56):
And if you have not set up yourbrand voice, check the show
notes and I will link theepisode where I talked about how
to create your brand voice.
But if you have other promptsthat you find are working really
well, keep them all in oneplace.
And using your asana as a littlevault or a library to keep them
all in one place worksincredibly well.
(11:18):
The key is testing and tweakingthose prompts until they give
you consistently good results.
And then because they're all inone central place, anyone on
your team can access them andyou can all be consistently
using the same prompts.
Okay, so now can we talk aboutone of my least favorite
(11:40):
business tasks, documentation?
Now, I've covered this in aprevious episode.
I will link it down below, butSOPs, look, I know it's
important.
I know I've talked about itbefore.
I need it, you need it, butcreating SOPs and project briefs
and all of that stuff.
It's about exciting as watchingpaint dry, but here's where AI
(12:01):
has completely changed the gamefor me and for you, and I think
it's gonna blow your mind too.
You know those standardoperating procedures that you
know you should have, but younever seem to find the time to
create, even though I've toldyou that it doesn't have to be
hard.
Well, what if I told you thatyou could generate them
automatically just by doing yourwork?
(12:22):
And here's how this magichappens.
So when you create a process inAsana, let's just say you
finished onboarding a newclient, you tag that main task
with"process documentation."Then your automation is gonna
kick in and send all of the taskdetails, the subtasks, and any
(12:45):
comments or notes to ChatGPTwith a prompt, like"turn this
completed process into adetailed SOP that includes the
purpose, the step-by-stepinstructions and common issues
to watch out for and successmetrics." You could very easily
set this up.
I tried this out with a simpleprocess that I have about six
(13:08):
months ago, and honestly, itchanged everything.
So instead of having a growinglist of,"I should really
document this" hanging over yourhead, you just do your work
normally and the documentationcreates itself.
So even if you are a team ofone.
(13:28):
If at any point in the futureyou think you might bring on a
team member, hire a va, any ofthat, you need to be documenting
your processes, even if it'ssomething as simple as how you
create social media posts, howyou post to social media, how
you onboard your clients, all ofthese things you should have.
(13:51):
Processes, and it doesn't haveto be hard.
It doesn't have to be supercomplicated.
I highly recommend that youlisten to the episode where I
outlined what an SOP is and howto create them because it will
make it seem so much lessdaunting, and you do not need to
stop everything in your businessand be like, this week I am
(14:12):
creating SOPs for everythingthat I'm doing.
Because you can just create themas you go.
And by using this cool trick ofhaving Asana and AI make them
for you, it makes it even lessintimidating.
So you are out of excuses.
Officially, I'm putting you onnotice that you are out of
(14:33):
excuses as to why you don't haveSOPs in your business.
You have been warned.
Here is another game changer.
You know how when a new clientfills out an intake form for
your business, you usually haveall of that information and you
turn it into some kind oforganized project brief.
(14:53):
It takes forever, and you'renever sure if you're asking
maybe the right questions orpossibly missing something
important until you need thatinformation and you realize you
don't have it.
Well now when someone submitsyour client intake form.
All of that information can getsent directly to Claude or chat
with a sophisticated prompt,like"create a comprehensive
(15:15):
project brief based on theseclient requirements, include the
project scope, the deliverables,the timeline recommendations,
potential challenges that weshould prepare for success
metrics and a communicationplan." So the result of having
that information about thatclient sent immediately to AI
with a prompt like that, is thatyou're gonna get a professional,
(15:38):
thorough project brief thatcovers angles that you might not
have even thought of, and it'sautomatically added to your
Asana project before you evenhave that first client call,
which makes you look like afreaking rock star when you show
up to that first call.
That client is gonna come tothat call, hear the things you
have to say, and immediatelyknow that they made the right
(16:01):
decision to work with you.
I cannot tell you how manyclients have said things like,
"wow, you really understand ourneeds," or,"I can tell you've
put a lot of thought into this,"and little did they know, Claude
or Chat did the initialthinking, but I got to focus on
the relationship and thestrategy parts, aka, the human
(16:22):
parts that really matter.
Here is something else that usedto drive me crazy.
If someone on my team or like,let's be honest, me would have a
brilliant idea for improving aprocess, I get all excited about
it and maybe mention it in ameeting and then nada.
Because the idea would justpoof, disappear into the ether
(16:46):
because documenting processimprovements just felt like an
extra task that nobody had timefor being an entrepreneur or a
business owner.
You never have enough hours inthe day, right?
But now when anyone has animprovement idea, you can just
create a task in Asana and tagit with improvement idea.
(17:09):
It's like a digital suggestionbox.
The automation will grab thesuggestion and look at your
current process documentationand generate an updated
procedure that actuallyincorporates that improvement.
It is literally like having abusiness improvement fairy that
(17:29):
actually follows through on allthose great ideas instead of
letting them get lost in thechaos of running a business.
No more like jotting down ideasin the Notes app on your phone
or.
Putting it on a Post-it note ornote to self, or do this in two
years time.
Like this is how your businesswill improve by actually leaning
(17:52):
in to all of these great ideas.
All right, and here's wherethings really get exciting if
you can't tell.
I love all of these, but this isa really, really juicy one.
I want you to imagine having asuper efficient operations
manager who never takesvacation, never gets sick, and
is available 24-7 to keep yourbusiness running so smoothly.
(18:16):
I know it sounds too good to betrue, but that is essentially
what we're building when wecombine all of these AI tools
with your Asana system.
I call it my digital operationsmanager, and honestly, it has
been life changing.
Remember how I used to spendhalf a day or more each week
doing business housekeeping?
(18:37):
Well, now I wake up every Mondaymorning to what I call my
executive briefing.
And it's not just a boring listof tasks.
It's like having a really smartbusiness consultant who's been
analyzing everything in mybusiness overnight.
My Monday morning briefingincludes things like the most
important tasks for the day withcontext about why they're
(19:01):
critical.
Upcoming deadlines with a riskassessment like this project
historically takes 15% longerwhen it involves external
business partners.
Any bottlenecks that need myattention, along with suggested
solutions.
Client updates that needresponses prioritized by urgency
(19:22):
and performance insights likeyour team completed content
tasks 20% faster this week.
It arrives in my inbox at 7:00AM every Monday morning, and
it's like having a chief ofstaff who's reviewed everything
and is giving me my executivesummary.
I spend about five minutesreading it and I know exactly
(19:42):
how to prioritize my entire day.
I could set this up to arrive inmy inbox daily if I wanted.
It's completely customizable tomy business, and I have it set
up exactly the way I like it.
Here's something else that usedto keep me up at night was
making big business decisions.
Should I launch this newprogram?
(20:03):
Should I hire someone new?
Should I change my pricing?
I would go around in circlesmaking pro and con lists that
never seem to help, but now Ihave a structured system for
this.
So when I'm facing a significantbusiness decision.
I create a task in my businessdecisions project with the
question and all the relevantcontext I can think of.
(20:27):
Then I have AI analyzed thisinformation for me, along with
historical data from my otherAsana projects to give me pros
and cons based on similardecisions I've made.
Before potential outcomes withrealistic probability
assessments, resourcerequirements, and timeline
implications, and specificrecommendations with clear
(20:50):
reasoning.
Because there's so much data inmy Asana about my business, the
AI is able to give me the bigpicture about how I should move
forward instead of making anemotional decision, I'm able to
make a data backed decision.
And here's the best part, once Ido make that decision, the
(21:13):
system automatically creates allthe implementation tasks and
assigns them to the rightpeople.
So decisions actually turn intoaction instead of just sitting
in my head.
Let's talk about the Asanadashboard.
It's a pretty great place withall the project views and custom
fields that we set up in earlierepisodes, but when you add the
(21:36):
AI analysis on top of it, itbecomes this incredible business
intelligence tool.
Instead of just showing me thatthree projects are due next
week, it might flag thehistorically projects of this
type require 15% more time whenthey involve external business
partners and suggest thattimelines should be adjusted
(21:59):
before problems occur.
It's like having someoneconstantly monitoring your
business and tapping you on theshoulder to say, Hey, you might
wanna pay attention to thisbefore it becomes a problem.
Alright, now let's connecteverything together in an easy
way that doesn't make you loseyour mind.
Doesn't that sound refreshing?
(22:20):
I feel like this is the part ofrunning a business where most
people start to get overwhelmedbecause you've got your email,
your CRM, your accountingsoftware, your website, maybe
some social media schedulingtools, and the thought of making
them all work together soundslike a technical nightmare,
right?
(22:40):
But here's the thing.
When you do this thoughtfully,it actually is incredibly
freeing.
Instead of having to remember todo 17 different things, every
time something happens in yourbusiness, everything just flows
together automatically.
Let me tell you about one of myfavorite integrations.
(23:00):
When someone moves to thecontract signed stage in my CRM,
it doesn't just sit therewaiting for me to remember to do
something about it.
Instead, it triggers a beautifulcascade of actions.
I.
And I get that, that makes mesound really nerdy to describe
it that way, but it is, stickwith me.
(23:20):
First, it analyzes the newclient's information, their
industry, their project type,their team size, all, the juicy
details.
Then it creates a customizedonboarding sequence in Asana
with tasks that are specificallyrelevant to their situation.
Because there's no such thing asa one size fits all client,
right?
(23:40):
A tech startup gets differentonboarding tasks than a wellness
coach, right?
But it goes even deeper thanthat because the system is then
gonna look at my currentworkload and my capacity.
It's gonna consider the client'spreferred communication style,
which it's gonna pull from theirinitial intake form.
And it's even gonna look atfactors in things like upcoming
(24:02):
holidays, team vacation time,and it's gonna create a
realistic project timeline.
I know for me, I scale back, I.
On my schedule, when we come upon summer, I have three kids
under 10, and we spendapproximately 30 hours a week at
the pool because we're a swimteam family, so I adjust my
(24:23):
workload in the summer and Asanatakes that into consideration.
I work a couple hours in themorning, first thing in the
morning.
I know I'm one of thoseobnoxious.
Morning people.
I'm just naturally able to workto wake up early, don't hold it
against me, and then I work somein the afternoon when it's
ridiculously hot and we're homeafter the pool.
(24:44):
So I love that Asanaautomatically knows that my
workload and my capacity isdifferent in the summer when my
kids are home.
So what used to be thisoverwhelming, okay, new client,
now I need to do all of thesethings.
Moment is just handled.
The client gets an amazing,personalized experience, and I
(25:07):
get to focus on the actual workthat requires my human brain and
my personal touch points insteadof the administrative juggling.
Here is something else I want toaddress.
Asana is amazing and AI makes iteven more powerful, but it's not
gonna be the perfect tool forevery single thing in your
(25:29):
business, and that's completelyfine.
The goal here isn't to forceeverything into one platform.
The goal is to make all yourtools work together
intelligently while each onedoes what it's best at.
So if you're creating graphicsor websites or any kind of
visual content, you're probablygonna still want to use tools
(25:53):
like Canva or Figma or AdobeCreative Suite, because these
tools are built specifically fordesign work, and they're going
to be way better at that, thentrying to manage everything in
Asana.
But here's how you can make themwork beautifully together by
keeping your design briefs andfeedback in Asana for the
(26:15):
project management and creatingthe actual designs in that
specialized tool.
And then using automation toupdate Asana when the design
status changes.
So when the design graphics arecomplete, then you wanna update
that in Asana and say graphicscompleted so that everyone on
(26:38):
your team is aware that thegraphic is done.
So if your designer can work intheir preferred environment, but
everyone who's involved in theproject stays informed through
Asana plus AI can help togenerate those design briefs
based off of the client'srequirements and analyze
feedback patterns to suggestimprovements.
(27:00):
Additionally, one of the thingsI do is I always make sure to
link the completed files intothe project.
For easy access, so I'm notspending and wasting time
searching, searching, searchingthrough Canva or Figma, trying
to find, you know, version,version, version.
(27:21):
Final, final version five.
You know when when you've gotmultiple files and you've gone
through multiple revisions,nothing is more frustrating than
being unable to find the correctfile, so I make sure that
completed final versions arealways attached to the project
for easy access, and alsobecause I love using the Asana
(27:46):
mobile app, which makes it eveneasier to access those files
while I'm on the go.
Similarly with financial tools,if you're using QuickBooks or
other accounting systems, keepusing those.
Those tools are specificallybuilt for financial management,
and they're gonna handleinvoicing and expense tracking
and financial reporting.
(28:06):
Way better than a projectmanagement tool, but the magic
happens when you connect themintelligently.
So your accounting system couldtrigger project updates in Asana
when payments are received, orAsana could automatically
generate invoices when a projectmilestone is completed.
And then AI can analyze the datafrom both systems to help you
(28:28):
make better business decisions.
And if you're creating content,you might use tools like Canva
for graphics or loom for videos,or your email marketing
platform, wherever you sendemails from, or buffer for
social media scheduling.
Each of these tools is really,really good at its specific job,
so don't try to reinvent thewheel here.
(28:51):
The key is orchestrating themthrough your Asana system.
Content briefs get managed inAsana.
Assets get created in theirspecialized tool, and AI helps
you to optimize the workflow andthink of yourself as the
conductor of the system.
Your job is to connect all ofthe tools you are using in your
(29:12):
Asana platform, and then use AIto help you find where the wheel
needs to be greased, so tospeak, to make sure that your
entire business is runningsmoothly and help you suggest
where it could be even furtherimproved.
Let's talk about some realnumbers.
(29:32):
What is this actually going tosave you?
Because I know I've beenthrowing a lot of exciting ideas
at you, but let's get down tothe basics.
What does this AI enhancedsystem actually save you in
terms of time and money?
Because that's what reallymatters, right?
I'm gonna share some of my realnumbers from my own business
(29:54):
transformation because I thinkit'll help you to see what's
possible.
Before I added AI to my ownAsana system, I was spending
approximately eight hours everyweek on project planning and
creating briefs for clients,another six hours weekly on
status updates and clientcommunication About four hours.
(30:17):
On documentation and processimprovement and I gave the
example of setting up my newproject that took me three hours
from start to finish, andhonestly, I had happy clients,
but I wasn't getting that holycow, you know, blown away
feedback.
After implementing this AIenhanced ecosystem, my project
(30:38):
planning is now taking me abouttwo hours a week, down from
eight.
Status updates and clientcommunication is down to about
an hour weekly, from six.
Documentation is happeningautomatically as I work, so I
would say maybe 30 minutesweekly to refine and review,
down from four.
(31:00):
And new project set up, I wouldsay 45 minutes max.
Down from three hours.
My client satisfaction has alsonoticeably improved because
everything feels moreprofessional and more thorough,
and more customized.
So we're talking about goingfrom about 18 hours of
administrative work per week,down to about three and a half
(31:23):
hours.
So that is 14 and a half hoursthat I got back every single
week.
That's almost two work days.
And those are hours that I cannow spend on the tasks that only
humans can do.
And I've mentioned that multipletimes throughout this episode.
There are tasks that can be doneby AI and that can be automated,
(31:46):
and there are tasks that requireyour human brain.
So that's two days a week that Ican be spending on the human
brain activities.
And those are activities thatare directly income generating.
Let's also talk about thefinancial impact.
So if you value your time atabout$150 an hour, which is
honestly a conservative rate formost successful entrepreneurs,
(32:09):
that is$2,175 per week inreclaimed value.
That's huge.
I'm able to now spend thosealmost two days a week on high
value activities like businessdevelopment and actually working
with clients.
So here's what the numbers don'tcapture, the mental relief, it's
(32:31):
huge.
I used to have this constantbackground anxiety about whether
I was forgetting somethingimportant, whether I had
followed up with everyone.
Whether I had stayed on top ofall my projects and now I have
this sense of peace and quietconfidence that everything is
being handled.
(32:51):
I can actually be present inmeetings instead of constantly
multitasking and having half mybrain thinking about what tasks
I need to be working on as soonas the meeting is over, I can
take weekends off.
Without worrying that I'mmissing something important, I'm
a more present mother andpartner and friend.
And it is so reassuring to knowthat I can truly be off the
(33:15):
clock.
We recently went on a nine dayvacation to Disney World and I
did not check my email once.
And that to me was a massivevictory and win, that I was able
to be fully present with myfamily.
Not stressed about what my inboxwas gonna look like or what was
(33:37):
the state of my business when Igot home.
Because I knew it was handled,and that everything was gonna be
okay when I got back.
And it was.
And that was huge.
So here's how you can calculatethe potential return for your
own business.
Step one, track how much timeyou currently spend on
(33:58):
administrative tasks for oneweek.
I'm talking about things likeproject planning, status
updates, client communication,documentation, all the things
that need to happen, but don'tdirectly generate revenue.
Step two, estimate whatpercentage of that time could be
automated or AI enhanced and beconservative.
(34:22):
Maybe start with 50%.
Step three, multiply that timesavings by your effective hourly
rate.
And step four, consider theimplementation costs.
Most of the AI tools we'vetalked about cost around$20 a
month.
And integration tools likeZapier start around$20 a month
as well.
Now for most entrepreneurs Iwork with, even saving just five
(34:45):
hours per week pays for theentire system many times over.
And that's before we factor inthe improved client
satisfaction, better projectoutcomes, and your increased
capacity to take on more work orhigher value clients.
But here's the thing that reallygets me excited.
(35:07):
This system doesn't just saveyou time today, it compounds
over time.
So better systems allow you totake on more clients without
proportionally increasing yourworkload.
Higher quality project briefsand communication lead to better
client relationships andtherefore more referrals.
Consistent documentation meansyou can delegate more
(35:29):
effectively as you grow.
And in my case, the time savingsallowed me to increase my client
capacity by about 25%, whichactually improved the quality of
service.
So even just two additionalclients per year at$5,000 each
adds$10,000 to my revenue.
And that's on top of all theother time I've reclaimed for
(35:51):
other priorities.
And really, you can't even put amonetary value on the feeling of
calm and peace and the mentalload being lifted off of you.
All right, we've covered a lotof ground in this four part
series and I can practicallyfeel your excitement.
(36:12):
I know I am super jazzed aboutthis.
I also know that feeling whenyou're inspired and overwhelmed
at the same time, thinking, thisall sounds amazing, but where
the heck do I actually start?
So let me break this down intobite sized, non overwhelming
steps because that's how weactually make progress, right?
So first things first.
You do not need to implementeverything we've talked about in
(36:34):
these four episodes all at once.
In fact, please don't.
Because it'll all stress youout, and you'll probably give up
halfway through.
Instead, think about what'scausing you the most pain in
your business right now.
Are you spending half yourweekend doing project planning?
Then start with AI generatedproject briefs.
Are you constantly forgetting tofollow up with clients?
(36:56):
Then focus on automated statusupdates.
If you're drowning in repetitivetasks, then begin with the basic
Asana rules that we covered inthe second episode.
Pick one workflow, just one, andget that one working beautifully
before you move on to the nextthing.
Here's what I recommend that youdo for the first 30 days of
(37:17):
setting up your projectmanagement system.
In week one, if you haven'talready, set up your Asana
workspace using the foundationprinciples from the second
episode.
Don't worry about using AI yet.
Just get your projects organizedand create a few basic
automation rules.
I.
In the second week, pick onerepetitive task that drives you
(37:40):
freaking crazy and set up yourfirst AI integration.
Maybe it's generating contentcalendars or creating project
briefs.
Whatever it is, start simple andget comfortable with the
process.
It'll give you that quick winthat'll motivate you to keep
going.
In week three, I want you to addon one cross system integration.
(38:04):
Maybe it's connecting your emailto Asana or setting up those
automatic client notifications.
And in week four, I want you totake a step back and measure
what you've accomplished.
How much time have you saved?
What's working well and whatneeds tweaking?
Remember, this is like a living,breathing thing.
(38:25):
You are always makingadjustments and trying to
improve it.
And I wanna give you a littlereality check here.
Here's something that nobodytalks about.
The first few weeks ofimplementing these systems can
actually feel like more work,not less.
You're learning a new tool.
You're setting up workflows, andyour brain is having to think
about things differently.
(38:46):
This is normal.
I remember when I first started,around week two of my AI
integration journey.
I was sitting at my computer, itwas like nine or 10 o'clock at
night, and I was thinking, thisis supposed to make my life
easier.
Why does this feel so hard?
But I stuck with it.
You're setting up a new routine,you're learning a new skill.
(39:07):
By about the end of week four,everything started clicking for
me, so give yourself permissionto have a learning curve.
This is an investment in yourfuture self.
It is not an instant fix, butstick with it and your future
self will be so grateful thatyou did, because it is going to
make your life and running yourbusiness so much easier.
(39:28):
So as we close out this fourpart mini series, I wanna take a
moment to recap what we'vetalked about in each of the
episodes.
In the first episode, episode#133, We opened your eyes to
just how much time automationcould save you up to 24 hours
each week.
We talked about why this mattersso much for busy entrepreneurs,
and got you excited about thepossibilities.
(39:50):
In the second episode, episode#134, we rolled up our sleeves
and built your foundation.
We set up your Asana workspacestrategically, creating those
time saving automation rules,and establish the recurring
tasks and dependencies thateliminate repetitive work.
In the third episode, episode#135, we went full automation
(40:12):
ninja mode with advancedstrategies, cross project
workflows, and sophisticatedintegrations that can truly run
your business on autopilot.
And today, we added theintelligence layer that takes
everything to the next level.
We've talked about integratingAI tools that don't just follow
rules, but actually think,analyze, and make smart
(40:34):
decisions about your businessoperations.
The complete roadmap.
Thank you so much for joining meon this comprehensive journey
through automated systems thatscale.
If these episodes have providedvalue for you, I'd be so
grateful if you could subscribeand leave a review.
And if you're ready to implementthese strategies, but want some
(40:54):
hands-on guidance, I'd love tohelp you.
Check out my Tame Your BusinessChaos Toolkit at the link in the
show notes.
It's available for only$27 ifyou want a little bit of a boost
to help you get started withAsana.
Thank you so much for tuninginto Tech Savvy 101.
I'll see you really soon.
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