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Before we dive into this edition, a heartfelt thank you is in order.

The last issue—on the AI Empathy Gap—dropped after a longer-than-usual pause. I’d been caught in the whirlwind of intense project work, personal life milestones, and all the beautiful chaos that comes with it. I was unsure how it would land after the gap.

But your response?

Incredible.

Thoughtful DMs, reshares, conversations sparked, and a beautiful reminder of why I write Aha! Quotient in the first place. So thank you. Truly.

Let’s get into today’s topic.

We Need a New Definition of Productivity

If you’ve worked in marketing long enough, you’ve probably heard this refrain:
"Do more with less."

It’s become both mantra and burden—one that marketers carry into every meeting, every sprint, every campaign brief.

Then came AI.

And with it, a louder, shinier version of the same promise:
"Now you can do even more… even faster."

But here’s the real question we should be asking:
Do we need to be doing more at all?

Or is the real win in doing less—and doing it with more clarity, more creativity, more humanity?

The False Binary of Speed vs. Quality

AI is often sold as a productivity tool. And it absolutely can be. From writing subject lines to generating performance reports, marketers are already shaving hours off repetitive tasks.

But we need to zoom out.

What if AI isn’t just a tool for getting through your to-do list—but a partner that helps rewrite it?

This is the shift smart marketers are making.

Welcome to the Age of Human-Centered Workflows

In the best marketing teams I’ve worked with this past year, something fascinating is happening:

They’re not using AI just to automate tasks.
They’re using it to redesign time itself.

🟡 Briefs that don’t burn you out
AI tools help teams clarify objectives, audience needs, and creative inspiration—before a single slide is made.

🟡 Campaign cycles that breathe
Predictive analytics and generative content reduce last-minute scrambles, freeing up space for testing, iteration, and creativity.

🟡 Meetings that actually matter
Teams use AI to summarize discussions, prep for stakeholder conversations, and cut back on status calls no one needs.

The result?

Fewer hours sunk into noise. More energy for strategy, storytelling, and innovation.

A Quiet Rebellion Against Hustle Culture

Especially when burnout in marketing is no longer anecdotal—it’s structural.

According to a 2024 Gartner survey, 71% of marketing leaders reported team burnout as a top concern, driven largely by pace, pressure, and decision fatigue. AI won’t solve that on its own. But it can absolutely help if we stop seeing it as a hustle amplifier.

So we can spend more time thinking, creating, resting, reflecting. All the deeply human work that actually drives brand love and business results.

Start Small: 3 Ways to Reclaim Your Time with AI

If you’re wondering where to begin, try these:

1. Audit Your Week

What are the top 3 tasks that drain your energy but don’t require your expertise? Use AI to handle those.

2. Rewrite Your Team Rituals

Can a meeting become a Loom? Can a doc be summarized by an AI note-taker? Don’t default to status quo.

3. Protect Creative Time

Block 90 minutes weekly for deep work—with AI helping prep data, research, or outlines ahead of time.

Final Thoughts: This Isn’t Just Productivity. It’s Permission.

Permission to reimagine what good work looks like.

Permission to push back against urgency theater.

Permission to build workflows that serve you—not the other way around.

We don’t need to prove our value by being busy.
We prove it by being effective.
AI, used wisely, gives us a powerful edge in doing exactly that.

So, here’s to doing less—but doing it better.

I’d love to hear from you!

Share your thoughts, experiences, or questions about modern marketing.

Comment below if you’re reading it on our website or hit reply if you’re reading it in your inbox .

We're drowning in dashboards, metrics, and KPIs. In the next edition, we’ll explore how AI can help modern marketers cut through the noise, prioritize what moves the needle, and finally stop chasing vanity metrics.

What topics would you want to see here?

Hit reply (if you’re reading it in email) or leave a comment (if you’re reading it on the web) and tell me what topics, brands, or case studies you would want me to analyze, and I'll add them to my list of ideas. You’ll also get a shout-out.