18d • Plug-and-Play
Build a New Work Identity (without becoming “the AI person”)
Most of us were taught to trade time for money. In the AI era, that deal is changing. You can keep your judgment and your standards, and let a small system do the busy work. Think of it as a careful, well-trained helper you supervise. It gathers the information, makes a draft, shows you the plan, and waits for your approval. You stay the boss; the system does the routine steps.
That’s the identity shift: not “I know AI,” but “my systems help me finish real work.” It’s practical, it’s safe, and it’s learnable—even if you don’t code.
What this looks like in real life:
Picture a normal week. You open your laptop and there’s a short note from your “digital co-worker”:
For marketing: links to posts worth repurposing, a clean draft for tomorrow’s email, and a short summary of how last week’s post performed.
For operations: yesterday’s tasks rolled forward, a few follow-ups drafted, and a friendly reminder about one stuck handoff.
For education: a lesson outline from your curriculum doc, a first pass at slides, and a five-question check-for-understanding.
For hiring: a shortlist from yesterday’s applicants, a brief summary for each, and two interview questions suggested for the role.
None of it gets sent without you. Every change is logged. If something feels off, you adjust the rule and it learns. That’s a safe, useful system.
Start where you already have skill:
Pick one area you understand. If you’ve written social posts, start in marketing. If you’ve managed to-dos and handoffs, start in ops. If you’ve planned lessons, start in education. If you’ve screened resumes, start in hiring. You’ll move faster when you already know what “good” looks like.
Now write a simple offer you can say out loud. One sentence is enough:
“I help [who] who struggle with [pain] by setting up a small system that does [task] so they get [result].”
Examples:
“I help solo founders drowning in follow-ups by setting up a small system that drafts and schedules replies, so they get back to leads the same day.”
“I help teachers buried in planning by setting up a small system that builds lesson outlines and quick quizzes from their curriculum, so weekends are lighter.”
“I help small teams with messy hiring by setting up a small system that sorts applicants and drafts shortlists, so interviews start sooner.”
If you’re early, keep it low-risk for the other person. Offer a short trial, or do a small build in exchange for honest feedback and, if they’re happy, a testimonial. Your goal is proof, not perfection.
Make two tiny proofs:
People trust what they can see. Build two small demonstrations you can show in two minutes each. Keep them real, even if rough:
A job-search helper that fills a sheet with roles and drafts outreach lines.
A mini recruiter inbox that tags applicants and writes a one-paragraph summary.
A lesson builder that turns a unit outline into slides and a short quiz.
A lead qualifier that turns a form response into next steps and a ready-to-send email.
Hit “record” and walk through input → what the system does → output. Say how many clicks or minutes it saved. That’s it. These two demos are enough to start conversations.
How to talk about your work:
On LinkedIn, add your demos to the “Projects” and “Featured” sections. Use plain titles: “Lesson Pack Builder (Self-Initiated)” or “Recruiter Inbox Helper.” In an interview or client call, don’t claim you “know AI.” Offer a quick tour:
“Can I show you a two-minute walkthrough of a small system I built? Here’s the before, here’s what it does now, and here’s the time it saved us.”
You’ll sound practical and trustworthy. That lands better than buzzwords.
Why this matters now:
Small and mid-sized businesses are moving from “trying AI” to “running on AI.” Most are already spending on it, and the ones growing fastest are increasing those budgets again next year. The reason is simple: time back, fewer errors, faster response, and clearer decisions.
Across teams, the pattern is repeating. People report saving hours each week. Admin work goes down. Revenue and margins tick up. But many still struggle to set things up safely and to focus on real, everyday work—not just content generation. That gap is your opportunity. If you understand the job and can design a small, careful system around it, you fill a real need.
Guardrails that keep you in control:
Useful systems are boring in the best way. They follow a checklist, leave a trail, and wait for you before sending anything important. Keep three habits:
Approvals before send. Drafts are fine; auto-sending can wait until trust is earned.
A daily two-minute check. Glance at logs, correct anything odd, keep the rules tight.
A weekly tidy-up. Archive what you don’t need, tighten prompts, and remove steps that created friction.
These habits make non-technical builders feel confident. They also make clients and managers relax.
Tools you can start with:
Use what you already have. A shared document or note to hold the rules. A simple spreadsheet or database to store inputs and outputs. If you want to connect apps, start with a beginner-friendly automation tool. You can add more later. The point is not the tool; the point is the shape of the work: input → transform → draft → approve → send → log.
A quiet, steady way to begin this week:
Choose one lane. Write your one-sentence offer. Build one tiny proof and record a two-minute walkthrough. Share it with one person who would benefit. Ask for blunt feedback: “What helped? What felt clumsy? What would you want it to do next?”
If you’re posting in the community, tell us your lane, your one-liner, and what you’re building first. If you’re stuck, say where. We’ll help you get to a simple, working version you can use and show.
You don’t need to become a developer. You need to become the person whose system does the routine work the same way, every day, and asks for your judgment when it matters. That’s useful. That’s hirable. And it’s absolutely within reach.
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Build a New Work Identity (without becoming “the AI person”)
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