Articles
Where the hours go, and how to get them back.
Practical writing on choosing AI tools, cutting the admin that eats your week, and starting with AI when you aren't technical. No hype, no tool-of-the-week.
The assessmentWhat is an AI tools assessment?An AI tools assessment is a structured review of how your week actually runs, ending in a short list of specific AI tools that fix your biggest time drains.Choosing toolsHow to choose AI tools for your businessA five-step framework: name the repeated task, quantify the hours, check it reaches your existing tools, trial it on real work, then measure again at two weeks.Choosing toolsAI tools for solopreneurs and freelancersThe four AI categories that matter for a one-person business — scheduling, client comms, notes and invoicing — with real 2026 prices and honest failure rates.The assessmentThe AI tools assessment checklistA step-by-step checklist for running your own AI tools assessment: track your week, categorise the tasks, score them, then shortlist two or three tools.Getting hours backHow many hours a week do you lose to admin?UK small business owners report 11 hours a week on admin and finance. Here is the research on where the week goes, and how to measure your own.Choosing toolsHow much do AI tools cost for a small business?Published 2026 prices for ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Notion, Otter and Zapier, plus the per-seat and annual-billing maths that inflates the bill.Getting hours backAI for follow-ups: how to stop leads slippingFollow-up is where money leaks. Use AI to spot what needs chasing, draft the message and set the reminder — but keep the send button human.Getting hours backHow to automate meeting notes with AIAI notetakers transcribe your calls and draft summaries and action items. What they cost in 2026, where they fail, and the recording consent rules to follow.Choosing toolsIs AI actually worth it for a small business?Sometimes. AI reliably pays back on repetitive text work and reliably disappoints on judgement calls. Here is the research on which is which, without the hype.The assessmentAI audit vs AI assessment: what is the difference?An AI audit reviews the tools you already run. An AI assessment diagnoses your work first and prescribes tools second. How to tell which one you need.Getting hours backThe best AI tools for email overloadA category-first guide to AI email tools: triage, drafting, thread summaries, unsubscribe and scheduling, with real prices and where they still fall short.Choosing toolsDo you need an AI consultant?Often the honest answer is no. When sorting out your own AI tools is fine, when outside help actually pays, and what to watch for in a crowded market.Choosing toolsFree vs paid AI tools: what is worth paying for?Where an AI tool's free tier is genuinely enough, where it quietly costs you more than the subscription, and the four axes worth paying to upgrade.The assessmentHow I choose AI tools for a businessHow I filter thousands of AI tools down to three to seven: workflow fit, setup under 30 minutes, cost against hours returned, vendor risk, and off-the-shelf only.Getting startedHow to start with AI when you are not technicalYou do not need to learn AI. You need to hand over one repetitive task, try it for a week, then keep it or drop it. A zero-jargon starting method.Getting startedThe 4-day AI quick-start planTen minutes a day for four days: time one repetitive task, hand it over once, fix the brief, then decide keep or kill. Why small beats a weekend course.Getting startedWhat can AI actually do for a small business?Current AI is reliable at reshaping text you already have: drafting, summarising, extracting, transcribing. It is unreliable at facts, sums and accountability.The assessmentWho is Steve The AI Guy?Steve The AI Guy is Steve Harris, an independent AI consultant who runs a 45-minute AI Tools Assessment for owners, freelancers and busy professionals.Getting startedWhy most people fail to adopt AI toolsAI adoption usually fails for five boring reasons: too many tools at once, no owner, no measurement, poor workflow fit, and expecting magic. Fixes for each.Getting hours backWhich AI tools save the most time?Ranked by hours returned per hour of setup, not popularity: meeting notes, first drafts and data extraction win. Scheduling and chatbots usually lose.