I recently watched a fascinating video from Marketing Against the Grain where Kipp Bodnar shared his morning AI routine. With MIT reporting that 95% of AI use cases are failing, I found it refreshing to see someone demonstrating practical, valuable applications of this technology.
What struck me most was how Bodnar uses AI not as a replacement for human thinking but as a strategic partner that enhances his productivity and decision-making. This approach resonates with me because I’ve long advocated that technology should augment our capabilities rather than replace our critical thinking.
The Three-Part AI Morning Routine
Bodnar’s morning AI workflow consists of three distinct phases that anyone can adapt to their own work:
- AI Chief of Staff – Providing clarity and focus
- Executive Communications Assistant – Creating updates and reports
- Strategic Red Team – Challenging thinking and identifying blind spots
The beauty of this system is its practicality. Instead of vague promises about AI’s potential, Bodnar demonstrates specific use cases that deliver immediate value.
Using AI to Identify Blockers and Gaps
The first part of the routine involves using AI as a chief of staff to identify three critical elements:
- Project blockers that need immediate attention
- KPI gaps showing where you’re missing targets
- Initiatives that are behind schedule
What makes this approach powerful is how it transforms information overload into actionable insights. By having AI analyze project documents and highlight patterns, you can quickly identify which issues deserve your immediate attention.
I’ve found that many professionals struggle with prioritization – we’re drowning in data but starving for clarity. This AI application solves that problem by surfacing the most important issues that require your expertise.
Streamlining Communications
The second phase focuses on using AI to create executive updates and reports. This is where many of us waste countless hours – taking information we already have and reformatting it for different audiences.
By creating templates based on previous successful communications and letting AI handle the formatting, you free up significant time to focus on higher-value work. The key insight here is that AI isn’t creating the strategy – it’s simply packaging information you’ve already validated.
I’ve got my focus in the blockers and the metric gaps. I’ve done my updates that I need to do for the different teams. And then I’ve taken one of those pieces of focused work that I want to do.
This approach has transformed how I handle my own communications. Rather than spending hours crafting updates, I can focus on solving the problems that matter most.
AI as a Thought Partner, Not a Replacement
The most valuable part of Bodnar’s routine is using AI as a “red team” to challenge thinking and identify blind spots. This involves giving AI a brief on a strategic decision and asking it to:
- Provide counter-arguments with supporting evidence
- Identify hidden assumptions and how to test them
- Conduct a premortem analysis (what could go wrong)
What’s crucial here is that Bodnar emphasizes not outsourcing your thinking to AI. Instead, he recommends taking AI’s output, pasting it into a separate document, and applying your own critical thinking away from the AI interface.
This distinction is vital. The professionals who will thrive in an AI-powered world aren’t those who let AI think for them, but those who use AI to enhance their thinking.
Implementing Your Own AI Morning Routine
If you want to implement a similar system, start small. Pick one of these three applications and experiment with it for a week. I recommend beginning with the “chief of staff” function, as it provides immediate clarity on what deserves your attention.
The key is customization – adapt the prompts and instructions to your specific needs and work context. What works for a CMO won’t necessarily work for a solo entrepreneur or team leader.
Remember that the goal isn’t to create more AI outputs but to make better decisions and take more effective action. Judge your AI use by how it improves your outcomes, not by how impressive the outputs look.
In a world where many are still figuring out how to extract value from AI, having a structured morning routine that combines AI assistance with human judgment gives you a significant advantage. The professionals who master this balance will outperform both the AI skeptics and those who blindly follow AI recommendations.
The future belongs to those who use AI as a partner, not a replacement for their own critical thinking.
