Can AI save you time on tasks you find to be monotonous?
Absolutely.
But what you consider tedious can be another person’s reprieve, creative outlet or art form.
In a recent post I wrote titled “Strengths-Based Professional Learning and Utilizing AI,” I shared the following image that has gone viral regarding how we use AI:
Along with the image, I shared the following takeaway from the post:
The creative work is something for me to do, not AI.
This reminded me of Dan Pink’s book “Drive” and one of my takeaways. When we want to do meaningful work, intrinsic motivation is the best driver of that type of learning. Extrinsic rewards are best for what I characterize as the “lawnmower” activities. To mow the lawn, you go back and forth until it is done (unless you are making alien crop circles and wanting to mess with the world!). There is work to do, but not necessarily much thinking and creativity in that process. (Some people love these activities because it can be soothing and get your mind off of stress, myself included!)
The “lawnmower” activities are what I am saving AI for in my process.
As much as I appreciate the idea behind what was shared in the image and how it pushed my own thinking, there was also something that I struggled with but was unsure how to articulate.
Then I received this message from reader Kerry Wilson that made a lot of sense to me:
I greatly enjoyed this post and will try to utilize AI more, according to your template. I want to find a way to have AI create and maybe even do chart audits for me, as those are tedious and boring!
I relate to the concept of “lawnmower” time also. For me I call it “ironing” time. Although I don’t want to completely lose this time because this is the time that allows my brain to think, process, and even synthesize information so I can create more.
I discovered this during an English 101 course in college. I simply could not find anything to write about for an assignment, one I thought was silly. As it turns out, during ironing time I thought of a really great quote I had read and made that my introduction. That paper got an A and the professor read it to the class as an example of what she was looking for in that assignment. Very validating moment for me. And although I don’t remember that paper verbatim, I still recall and reflect on some components of it to this day, almost 20 years later.
I’m resistant to delegating my “ironing” time to AI.
Enjoying ironing and finding it as an activity that clears my head is not something that would work for me. But it works for Kerry, and that is the point.
What one person might hate doing might be someone else’s time to think and develop creative ideas.
“Take the ubiquitous PowerPoint presentation as an example. Right now, students spend hours designing slides—choosing fonts, aligning images, and adjusting transitions—when the real value lies in the ideas they’re presenting. Imagine if AI could generate the slides for them in minutes, leaving more time for practicing their delivery, refining their arguments, or engaging in meaningful dialogue with peers and teachers about the topic. The focus shifts from the tool to the content, and from the screen to the human interaction.”
Chris Kennedy
I found my ironing time.
Creating and developing presentations.
For me, putting a presentation together is not about a bunch of slides, images and bullet points. It is about making an argument for something and sharing compelling stories through different forms of multimedia to take people on an emotional journey where they not only walk away with ideas but are inspired to action. The amount of time I put into a presentation is not about just “throwing slides” together, but I consider it an art form of storytelling that was inspired as much by music and art teachers as it was by other teachers.
I wrote an article years ago titled, “Powerpoint Doesn’t Suck: 10 Ideas to Make It Great,” in 2014 and have even created a course on how to make compelling presentations in the past! This is something I am incredibly passionate about, and I have mentored speakers and worked with groups all over the world on this very topic!
The other thing I thought about in Chris’ post is that when I am putting together a presentation, I don’t want human interaction. I want isolation to be with my thoughts and ideas. If you never have time to think independently, how much can you contribute to a group?
In my post, “The 3 New C’s To Consider? The Importance of Creation, Connection, and Curiosity in Education” I shared the following:
Collaboration is essential, but how can we contribute to others without time to know ourselves? Personally, I try to incorporate many “brainwriting” activities in the professional learning opportunities I deliver because it gives people time to process for themselves and create their own connections to content before they connect with others.
Isolation and collaboration should work in tandem and not be considered opposites.
Having time to think independently helps me better articulate my ideas to a group. We do not need to be connected all the time, online or offline. Writing this post in silence will help me better understand these ideas later while collaborating with groups.
So, yes, AI can help us move on from tedious tasks that we do not see as bringing much value. But what you (or I) see as dull or unnecessary can fuel someone else’s creative drive.
The ability to do things where we don’t have to think might inspire our most creative pursuits.
(P.S. I used ChatGPT as a thought partner to provide a title for this post. This is something I have always struggled with, and I also asked it why it chose the title it did. I will share that in a later post 🙂
