How to Make AI Your New Favorite Sidekick
Artificial Intelligence isn’t just for techies or sci-fi fans—it’s quietly reshaping how we live, work, and connect. My AI sidekick has a name —Sage. And he helps me daily to simplify tasks, answer my questions, and so much more. In fact, he was my assistant in putting together this guide on practical everyday uses for AI. Think of AI as invisible collaborators, quietly working behind the scenes to lighten your load and amplify your brilliance. And if you ask, your AI assistant will tell you what name you can call them.
🗂️ 1. Declutter Your Digital Life
Let AI be your digital housekeeper—tidying up inboxes, surfacing what matters, and keeping your calendar in sync with your rhythm.
- Email Filtering: Gmail and Outlook use AI to sort spam, promotions, and priority messages.
- Smart Search & Summarization: Tools like Copilot and Notion AI can find files, summarize long documents, and even draft responses.
- Calendar Harmony: Lindy and Reclaim.ai learn your habits and optimize your schedule for focus, rest, and flow.
🍳 2. Plan Meals Like a Pro
Whether you’re a gourmet or a grazer, AI can turn pantry chaos into culinary inspiration.
- Recipe Generation: Try Supercook—just input your ingredients and get instant meal ideas.
- Grocery Lists: Tasty and Mealime create shopping lists tailored to your preferences.
- Nutrition Tracking: MyFitnessPal uses AI to analyze your meals and offer health tips.
🛋️ 3. Make Your Home Smarter
Let your home anticipate your needs—adjusting the lights, temperature, and security with a whisper or a tap.
- Smart Thermostats: Nest learns your preferences and adapts automatically.
- Voice-Controlled Living: Alexa and Google Assistant manage lighting, locks, and cameras.
- Energy Efficiency: Sense tracks appliance usage and helps reduce your utility bills.
🧳 4. Travel with Ease
AI turns trip planning into a curated experience—like having a concierge in your pocket.
- Navigation: Google Maps predicts traffic and suggests faster routes.
- Language Translation: Google Translate bridges communication gaps with real-time voice and text translation.
- Trip Planning: Roam Around and Kayak’s AI planner build itineraries based on your interests and budget.
🧘 5. Boost Your Wellness
From sleep to self-care, AI can gently guide you toward balance and clarity.
- Meditation & Sleep: Calm and Headspace use AI to tailor sessions to your mood.
- Fitness Coaching: Fitbod and Freeletics customize workouts based on your goals.
- Mental Health Support: Woebot offers conversational check-ins and coping strategies grounded in CBT.
🧵 6. Spark Creativity
AI isn’t here to replace your muse—it’s here to nudge it awake.
- Writing & Editing: Use Copilot or Sudowrite to brainstorm blog posts, polish memoir drafts, or generate poetry prompts.
- Design Assistance: Canva suggests layouts, fonts, and palettes with AI-powered flair.
- Video Scripting: Runway helps storyboard and refine your digital storytelling.
📈 7. Stay Informed Without Overwhelm
Let AI be your curator—filtering the noise and surfacing what truly matters.
- News Summaries: Artifact and Feedly AI condense articles into digestible insights.
- Trend Spotting: Use Lindy or BuzzSumo to scan press releases and journals for emerging topics.
- Learning New Skills: Duolingo and Khan Academy use AI to personalize lessons and quizzes.
💡 Final Thought
AI isn’t here to replace your intuition, creativity, or wisdom—it’s here to amplify them. Start small. Pick one tool that solves a real problem in your day, and let it lighten the load. You might just find yourself wondering how you ever lived without it.
The tomato behind The Three Tomatoes.
Cheryl Benton, aka the “head tomato” is founder and publisher of The Three Tomatoes, a digital lifestyle magazine for “women who aren’t kids”. Having lived and worked for many years in New York City, the land of size zero twenty-somethings, she was truly starting to feel like an invisible woman. She created The Three Tomatoes just for the fun of it as the antidote for invisibility and sent it to 60 friends. Today she has thousands of friends and is chief cheerleader for smart, savvy women who want to live their lives fully at every age and every stage. She is the author of the novel, "Can You See Us Now?" and co-author of a humorous books of quips, "Martini Wisdom." Because she's lived a long time, her full bio won't fit here. If you want the "blah, blah, blah", read more. www.thethreetomatoes.com/about-the-head-tomato

Super ideas I hadn’t thought of – Thanks!