Some emails are easy. "Thanks!" "Got it." "See you at 2."

Then there are the other ones. The ones you stare at for twenty minutes. Asking for a day off. Following up on something that is already late. Saying no to something you just cannot take on.

I used to put those off until the end of the day. Now I have a little trick, and it takes about two minutes.

Start with your own words

First, I write what I want to say, just the way I would say it out loud. Rough is fine. Something like: "I need Friday off for an appointment and I feel bad asking because we are short staffed."

No need to make it sound pretty. That part comes next.

Ask AI for a first draft

Then I paste it into AI and say something like: "Please help me write this as a short, polite work email. Keep it warm and simple."

In a few seconds I have a clean version to work with. I read it, fix anything that does not sound like me, and send it.

Keep your voice in it

Here is the part that matters. If a line sounds too stiff or too fancy, I change it back to my own words. AI is good at the shape of an email. You are good at the heart of it.

The email should still sound like you wrote it. Because you did — you just had a little help getting started.

Try this today

Think of one email you have been putting off. Write the rough version, the way you would say it. Then ask AI to shape it into a short, polite email.

You will be surprised how fast it goes. And you will feel better once it is sent.

— GiGi 💜