AI Tools I have Actually Found Useful in My Daily Work

I have lost count of how many AI tools I have tried in the last year. Some were hyped to the moon but didn’t fit into my workflow at all. Others quietly slipped in and became part of my everyday routine without me even realizing it.

Today, I thought I’d share a few that have stuck, the ones I use often enough that I’d genuinely miss them if they disappeared.

1. Notion AI for Organizing My Brain

Notion itself has been my go-to for project notes and task tracking for years. But when they added AI, something clicked.
I’m not using it for “magic” answers, I’m using it to clean up messy meeting notes, summarize long project updates, and turn rough ideas into something I can actually present to my team. It’s like having a patient assistant who doesn’t get annoyed when I keep changing my mind.

2. Perplexity for Quick Research

I love reading, but I don’t always have time to dig through ten different articles. Perplexity gets me the main points fast, with links so I can fact-check if needed. It’s become my starting point for researching new AI frameworks or understanding recent updates without falling down a never-ending rabbit hole.

3. ChatGPT (Yes, But Carefully)

Here’s the thing, I don’t use ChatGPT to write for me. I use it as a sounding board. I will paste my own draft and ask, “Does this make sense to someone who’s not me?”
Sometimes it catches jargon I didn’t realize I was using. Other times, it points out holes in my logic. But I always make sure the final version is my words, not a copy-paste.

4. Figma for Quick UI Mockups

I am not a designer, but I know what I want things to look like. Figma’s AI assisted layout suggestions have saved me hours when I am mocking up dashboards or quick landing pages for internal projects.

What I have Learned from Trying So Many Tools

It’s easy to get distracted by shiny new AI launches. I have found it’s better to pick one or two that genuinely help with your work and go deep with them. The tools I mentioned above fit into my routine because they solve problems I already had, they don’t create new ones.

I am curious, what AI tools are you actually using (not just testing for fun)? Drop me a note. Maybe I will do a follow-up post with reader favorites.