Start here
Start here¶
You don't need to be technical. You need four things: a clear job, the right info, a safe place to practice, and a way to check the result. This page gets you there in about 30 minutes.
The 30-minute path¶
1. Pick one small job¶
Good first jobs have an input you provide and an output you can read and judge:
- turn your rough notes into a clean summary;
- draft a follow-up email from meeting notes;
- turn one long article into a few short posts.
Skip "run my whole business" or "manage my inbox" for now — too many decisions, too much risk.
2. Pick your tool¶
For your first job, a normal AI chat (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) is enough. Not sure? Use the 2-minute picker.
3. Make a practice folder¶
If you're using an AI that can touch files, make one new folder with copies of a few non-private files. Never start it inside your whole Documents folder or email.
4. Run it and watch¶
Paste your request, watch what it does, and ask it to explain anything confusing. Say no to anything unexpected.
5. Check the result¶
Read the output like you'd check a new employee's first task: Is it accurate? Did it make anything up? Would you put your name on it?
Your first win should be boring¶
Not "wow, the AI amazed me." Just: it did the small job, stayed where I put it, and I could verify the result. That boring win is the foundation for everything bigger.
Three rules worth keeping¶
- Copies before originals. Let it practice on duplicates.
- Draft before publish. You review everything before it goes anywhere.
- Save what worked. Keep the good instructions in a file so you never rewrite them.