4 Productivity Tools You Can Use Starting Today｜まい｜複業フリーランス

Introduction

Hello! I’m Mai, a working mom juggling a career as a Pilates instructor and an online secretary.

“I managed to do it even though I’m bad with PCs.” That’s my catchphrase. Back when I was a corporate instructor working in a studio, I would break spreadsheet formulas or panic whenever a new tool was introduced… The reason I’m now able to handle multiple jobs from home is thanks to AI tools.

In this article, for working moms interested in remote work or side hustles, I will introduce 4 AI tools that I actually use every day.

Remote work: Time disappears into “tasks other than your main job”

What I realized after starting to work from home is that there are just so many “small tasks” outside of my main work. For example, do any of these sound familiar?

・Thinking of replies for emails or chats to clients
・Summarizing meeting content into minutes and sharing them
・Renaming received invoices or data files one by one according to a set rule
・Organizing scattered data into a standard table format
・Coordinating your own schedule, your children’s schedule, and multiple clients’ schedules

Even if each one is a small task, they add up and your day is over in a flash.
For working moms, it’s often the case that you only have a few hours until pickup time, right?

That is why you should leave “tasks you don’t have to do yourself” to AI.
Use the time you save for work you really want to focus on, time with your children, or your own skill development.
I feel this is the secret to continuing with remote work and side hustles for a long time.

The 4 AI tools I use now

There are so many AI tools that you might wonder, “Which one should I actually use?” I tried many, but I’ve settled on these four.

• ChatGPT: An AI gateway where you can ask anything. For those who have never touched AI before

• Gemini: An assistant that connects with Google tools. For those who frequently use Gmail, Google Calendar, and Drive

• Claude Code: A partner you can entrust with tedious tasks. For those who repeat the same work every time

• Notion: A place to consolidate information and tasks. For those whose information is scattered everywhere

The point is not to use the tools alone, but to “connect and use them.”
I will introduce each of them in order.

1. ChatGPT: The “first one” for AI beginners

ChatGPT is a conversational AI that can write text, generate ideas, and answer questions just by talking to it.
This is what I recommend first to those who have never used AI.
It feels like talking to a friend, so the barrier to entry is very low.

💡Recommended ways to use it

・Drafting text: Just ask, “Please write a polite email to Mr./Ms. XX requesting a schedule change,” and the draft is done
・Paraphrasing: Adjusting the tone, such as “make it softer” or “use words a child can understand,” is a breeze
・Brainstorming: From social media post ideas and lesson themes to today’s menu
・Organizing thoughts: Write down scattered thoughts and have them organized for you

💡 Here are the highlights

• You can talk to it by voice: With the smartphone app, you can consult with it by voice while doing chores

• You can show it photos: You can take a picture of the inside of your fridge and ask, “What can I make for dinner with this?”

At first, I recommend starting with consultations about menus or daily life rather than work.
It’s okay to ask things you might think, “Is it okay to ask this?”
As you use it, you will naturally be able to incorporate it into your work as well.

▼ Click here for ChatGPT
https://openai.com/ja-JP/chatgpt/overview/

2. Gemini: The ultimate assistant that connects with Google tools

Gemini is an AI created by Google.
Its biggest appeal is that it easily connects with Google Workspace tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive.
If you usually work with Google tools, you can leave tasks to the AI as is without having to move data around.

💡 Recommended ways to use it

• Checking schedules and free time: Have it pick up today’s schedule from Google Calendar and find free time

• Organizing and drafting emails: Have it create a draft reply based on the content of your Gmail

• Searching for the latest information: Since it is linked with Google Search, you can also look up the latest news and trends

• Summarizing YouTube videos: Even for long videos, you can save time on information gathering by having it extract only the necessary points

Turn it into your “personal archive” with Gemini Notebook

What I particularly like is Gemini’s notebook feature, “Gemini Notebook”.

You can use materials in your Google Drive directly as sources for your notebook, so there is no hassle of having to download and re-upload them.
Since the AI answers based on the materials you provide, it is also reassuring that the answers come from “information you collected” rather than “information from somewhere on the internet.”

For example, I collected my favorite recipes I found online and created a “recipe collection just for my home.” When I ask, “What can I make with chicken breast in under 20 minutes?” it searches through the recipes I collected.
For work, if you put in manuals or past materials, it can also become a “searchable archive” for each client.

The actual Gemini Notebook screen

3. Claude Code: An AI that “does the work for you”

The biggest change in my way of working over the past year is that I have started leaving the “actual work” to AI.
The tool I use for that is Claude Code.
There are other tools like ChatGPT’s “Codex” that allow you to delegate work in the same way, but I have settled on Claude Code.

Claude Code is a tool you can use from the AI “Claude” created by the company Anthropic, and by simply asking in conversation, it can actually manipulate files on your computer and perform tasks for you.
The image is that it has evolved from an “AI that teaches you how to do things” to an “AI that does them for you.”

👇 These tasks actually became easier

1. File renaming is finished in an instant
The task of renaming data like invoices that arrive every month according to a set rule.
It’s a tedious task, but it really takes time when there are many of them.
Now, I just ask, “Rename the files in this folder according to this rule,” and it’s done in an instant.

2. It organizes CSV data into “the usual table”
I also entrust it with the task of rewriting downloaded CSV data to match the format of tables I’ve created in the past.
If I ask it to “make it the same format as the previous file,” it will finish it following the example.

3. If you turn it into a “skill,” from next time on, just an instruction is enough
Once a task procedure works well, you can save it as a Claude “skill.”
Then, from next time on, you just have to say, “Do the usual renaming.”
Since it gets finished with the same quality without having to explain it in detail every time, it feels like the work is gradually becoming a “system.”

Is it okay if I’m not good with PCs?

You might get nervous when you hear the word “code.”
I was the same at first.
But all you do is tell it “I want you to do this” in Japanese.
Even if you don’t have programming knowledge, if you get stuck, you can just ask Claude itself “what should I do?” and it will answer.

Note that while you can try Claude’s chat for free, Claude Code is a feature available in the paid plan.
It is recommended to first get used to Claude with the free chat, and if you feel like “I’m doing the same task every time,” then move on to Claude Code.

Bonus: Create materials quickly with “Claude Design”

Something I feel has changed regarding work efficiency is the time spent creating materials.
Previously, it took a considerable amount of time for one document, thinking about the structure, adjusting the design, etc.

Now, I use Claude’s “Claude Design.”
When you tell it the content of the material you want to create, it even shapes the design on the canvas, and you can fix it while talking, saying things like “make this part simpler” or “make the colors have a gentle atmosphere.”
Even if you are not good at design, you don’t have to worry from scratch is a happy point.

Actually, the thumbnail for this note article was also made with Claude Design. The time it took was a surprising 2 minutes or so. Previously, my hands would have stopped just thinking about the design.

You can create materials with various other AI tools too!
Try using them and find the ones you think “this is easy to use!” or “this produces things close to my image.”

4. Notion: Connect it with AI to make it a “place to store information”

Notion is a tool that allows you to summarize memos, ToDo lists, tables, and schedule management all in one place.
It can be used on both PCs and smartphones, and it is useful as your own personal notebook or as a shared page with clients.

💡 Basic usage

• Memos/Notes: You can write down anything, such as study records, shopping memos, and diaries

• Task management: You can set deadlines for ToDo lists and proceed while checking them off

• Tables (databases): For lesson management, customer management, and checking work progress

• Centralized information management: Since you can also paste images and links together, you won’t have to wonder “where was that information?”

Connecting with AI significantly boosts efficiency

I currently use AI like Claude in combination with Notion.
I can export content from my AI interactions directly into Notion without any copy-pasting.

For example, meetings with clients.

1. Transcribe the meeting

2. Give the transcript to Claude and have it summarized into meeting minutes

3. Have the finished minutes output directly to a Notion page that the client can also view

Previously, I had to manually summarize the minutes, paste them into Notion, format the headings, and so on.
Now that I can leave all of this to AI, I can share the minutes as soon as the meeting ends.
It is a delightful time-saver that clients also appreciate because they can check the details immediately.

Summary: Start with just one thing in your daily routine

AI tools show their true power when you use them selectively and connect them together.
Here is how I currently use them:

• If you want to get used to AI first → ChatGPT

• If you want to use it with Google tools or organize collected information → Gemini (Gemini Notebook)

• If you want to delegate the same tasks every time → Claude Code (or Claude Design for document creation)

• If you want to consolidate information and tasks in one place → Notion

That said, you do not need to master everything from the start.
Even I, who used to be bad with computers, started by just asking for advice on vague thoughts I couldn’t put into words.
Since ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Notion all offer free plans, please try just one that interests you with a small daily task.

Once you notice, “I do this task every time,” that is your chance to delegate it to AI!
Let’s reclaim your time little by little and build a way to work comfortably even from home!

Also, check out my article on tools you should set up as soon as you buy a new computer.

▼ Tools to install after setting up your computer

Mai