The Only 5 AI Tools
You Actually Need

The tool I use for literally everything. Writing, thinking through problems, analyzing documents, building interactive tools, drafting emails, prepping for meetings, creating systems. If you only download one AI tool, make it this one.

Claude isn't a search engine. It's a thinking partner. You give it context about what you're working on and it helps you do the work — not just find information, but actually produce things you'd use.

Setup — 2 Minutes

• Go to claude.ai and create an account (or download the desktop/mobile app)
• Go to Settings → Memory and toggle it on. Tell Claude your name, your job, and how you like things written. It remembers this across every conversation.
• Go to Settings → Connectors and link your Google account. Claude can now read your email, check your calendar, and search your Drive.

Try This First

"Summarize the emails I got today. Group them by urgency — what needs a response now, what can wait, and what I can ignore. Draft a reply for anything urgent."

Your whole work life in one app. Notes, tasks, projects, databases, docs, wikis. The AI is built right in — you can ask it to summarize a page, organize your notes, draft content, or pull insights from your workspace without leaving the app.

Claude is where you think. Notion is where you keep everything. They pair perfectly — use Claude to create the content, then organize and store it in Notion.

Setup — 5 Minutes

• Go to notion.so and create an account
• Start with one of their templates — "Personal Home," "Project Tracker," or "Meeting Notes" are great starting points
• To use the AI, just press Space on any empty line or highlight text and click Ask AI. It works on any page.

Try This First

Create a new page, paste in messy notes from a meeting or brainstorm, highlight everything, and click "Ask AI → Summarize." Watch it turn chaos into a clean, organized summary in seconds.

Takes notes in your meetings for you. It runs quietly on your computer, listens to your meetings (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams — anything), and when the meeting ends you have a full summary, key decisions, and a list of action items. No bot joins your call. No one knows it's there.

This is the tool that makes people say "wait, how did you get notes that good?" You stop scribbling and start actually being present in meetings.

Setup — 1 Minute

• Go to granola.ai and download the desktop app
• Open it and sign in. That's it. Granola automatically detects when you're in a meeting.
• When the meeting ends, Granola creates the notes instantly. You can edit, reorganize, or ask it follow-up questions about what was discussed.

Try This First

Just have your next meeting with Granola running. When it's done, open the notes and see how much it captured. Then try asking it: "What were the action items from this meeting and who owns each one?"

You talk, it types. Everywhere. Works in every app on your phone and computer — email, Slack, texts, Google Docs, Notion, everywhere. But it doesn't just transcribe what you say. It rewrites it into clean, properly formatted text. No filler words, no rambling, no "um." Just clear, polished writing that sounds like you sat down and typed it carefully.

This is the tool that changes how fast you work. Emails that took 5 minutes to type take 30 seconds to say. Slack messages, meeting follow-ups, quick notes — just talk and it's done.

Setup — 2 Minutes

• Download Wispr Flow from the link below
• Grant it accessibility permissions when prompted (it needs this to type into other apps)
• Set your activation shortcut — I use holding the Fn key. Hold it, talk, let go, and your words appear as polished text wherever your cursor is.

Try This First

Open your email, click into a reply, hold your Wispr shortcut, and just say what you want to say out loud — naturally, like you're talking to a friend. Let go and watch it turn your words into a clean, professional email. You'll never want to type again.

You tell it what your presentation is about and it builds the whole deck. Slides, design, layout, content. You can refine each slide, swap layouts, and present directly from Gamma — or export to PowerPoint. I haven't opened PowerPoint in months.

The killer combo: use Claude to think through what your presentation should say, then hand that outline to Gamma and let it design the deck. Strategy + design in 10 minutes.

Setup — 1 Minute

• Go to gamma.app and create an account
• Click Create New → Presentation
• Type what your presentation is about in a few sentences. Gamma generates the full deck — slides, design, layout, and content. Edit anything by clicking on it.

Try This First

Think of a presentation you need to give soon. Type a 2-3 sentence description into Gamma and let it build the first draft. Then click into individual slides to tweak the content. You'll have a presentable deck in under 10 minutes.

These aren't five random tools. They're a stack. Each one handles a different part of your work:

• Claude — your thinking partner. Writing, analysis, strategy, building tools, drafting emails.
• Notion — your operating system. Where everything lives — notes, tasks, projects, docs.
• Granola — your meeting memory. Never take notes again.
• Wispr Flow — your voice-to-text everywhere. Talk instead of type.
• Gamma — your presentation designer. Decks in minutes, not hours.