Issue #106: How (and why) we're using AI...

Plus, all the prompts we actually use (and why we worried about sharing them).

Written by

Aliza Sir

and

Aja Frost

.

Photo credit: Emily Boudreau

Aja and I have been talking about — and using — AI a lot more recently.

She was an earlier adopter — going to Claude for help brainstorming post ideas, transcribing interviews, and writing sponsorship proposals before I’d realized I should (or could) create my own account.

In recent weeks, I’ve been trying to catch up. At first, I quickly grew frustrated when the tool didn’t immediately spit out the exact responses I was looking for. But I’m starting to see how, when used effectively, AI is like having a super high-functioning assistant who can help you do your job even better — and spend more time on the things you actually want to spend time on.

If I’m being super honest: We debated whether we should run this post. Like most people who are paying attention, we’re worried about the negative consequences, including environmental, of AI. What’s the future of education? Our workforce? Companionship? And how can we use it while holding on to our unique voices and eccentricities?

AI doesn’t solve all our problems. Hell, it creates a lot of new ones.

But as Aja said the other day, “The AI toothpaste is out of the tube.” So here’s how we (and a few others) are diving in — without losing our ability to think for ourselves. At the end, we’ve linked all the prompts we’re using.

🍽️ In the kitchen:

• Sabrina Molu
  (author of
  Work Wife
  ) uses AI for finding meal ideas that follow her nutritionist's guidance and use the ingredients she has at home.

• Aja asks for ingredient swaps when she’s missing something mid-recipe — like subbing turmeric and a little maple syrup for fenugreek or soy sauce for rice wine vinegar.

Photo credit: Sabrina Molu

🖼️ When decorating:

• Aliza “tested out” different wallpapers on her entryway before placing an order online.

• Aja uses ChatGPT to visualize how new furniture, rugs, and place settings will look together before buying — “Show me this table with this rug and these navy plates.”

✈️ When traveling:

• Ashley Rudolph
  (author of
  Reframed by Ashley R.
  ) and her fiancé planned a three-day Santa Barbara trip for their families using one detailed prompt. “We wanted easy hikes, chic restaurants, dog-friendly stops — and it delivered a complete itinerary that balanced everyone’s tastes/preferences.” Some highlights included a walking tour at the Santa Barbara botanic garden and breakfasts at Caje Coffee Roasters and Jeannine’s.

• Generating a list of low-lift games and activities for a girls’ weekend or bachelorette.

Ashley Rudolph’s recent visit to Santa Barbara

💭 For complex issues:

• Role-playing tricky conversations at work or with friends.

• Practicing for interviews or presentations — including, yes, writing our own answers and having the chatbot challenge them like a C-suite executive.

📩 Dealing with bureaucracy and admin:

• Drafting emails to customer service (this is one of Aja’s favorite use cases!)

• Translating legal documents or contracts into plain English so we better understand what we’re agreeing to.

• Helping us understand what the heck our insurance policies actually cover (this was super helpful when someone crashed into Aja and Sam’s rental car).

🧠 Managing the mental load:

• Turning our messy to-do lists into actual prioritized plans.

• Creating templates for recurring tasks (like onboarding new team members).

• Drafting difficult emails (like complaints, negotiations) so we're not staring at a blank screen.

⁉️ Creative problem-solving:

• Brainstorming solutions when we're genuinely stuck on a work problem.

• Generating different angles for approaching a conflict.

• Coming up with gift ideas based on someone’s specific interests and our budget.

• Aliza has heard from several parents that love this AI song generator — it can be a fun and educational kid-friendly activity.

📔 On Substack:

• Generating a list of alternative article titles for A/B testing.

• Drafting interview questions tailored to the interviewee’s work and tone.

• Bucketing key themes from raw interview transcripts (e.g., “Here’s everything they said about friendship across distance.”)

• Analyzing our most popular issues to identify patterns (What topics resonate? Which subject lines get clicks?)

• Uploading subscriber data to uncover trends in opens, growth, and churn.

• Ochuko Akpovbovbo
  (author of
  as seen on
  ) swears by her short and simple prompt for gut-checking grammar, spelling, word choice or sentence structure before hitting “send.”

What prompts interest you? Any great use cases we missed?

Looking for more? We’re sharing all of our prompts to help get you started.