Last week I had one of those great “Maker Days” – purpose-built for a slow-paced creator like myself.

Only this one was fuelled by AI as well as caffeine.

(Pictured: above me on the Coconut Water coffee, as if 49 grams of sugar is healthy;

below how Claude reacts when I change his model from Sonnet to Opus and start typing…)

Was It Productive?

Oh wow, yes. We compressed days of work into one power session and achieved the goal I set.

Was It Helpful?

Also yes. We built an analysis tool that I think will help my client generate an extra $380,000 in annual revenue – forever. Not a one-off project, but a permanent shift in how they understand their business.

But Was It Worth It?

This is a tricky one.

I’ll only see a fraction of that uplift. (I’m not cheap, but my fees are reasonable given my results.) And I certainly wouldn’t have proposed this project without AI supporting me – the manual effort would have made it impractical.

So what else would I have done with that time?

A different project for the same client – maybe even for a similar benefit? A different client entirely? Another family day? Sleep and a movie?!

The Busyness Trap, AI Edition

I ended the day feeling fulfilled and successful. And also mindful that even “being super productive” doesn’t always mean I’m making the best use of my time.

This is something I see constantly with the business owners I work with. They discover a new tool – AI, a new CRM, an automation platform – and suddenly they’re drowning in productive busyness. More outputs. More projects. More opportunities identified and pursued.

But “more” isn’t always “better.” And the question isn’t “Can I do this?” but “Should I?”

After 20 years coaching businesses, I know the difference between Capacity (“Be Bigger”) and Capability (“Be Better”). AI massively amplifies Capability – it lets you do more sophisticated work, faster. But it doesn’t change the fundamental question every business owner needs to answer: what is the highest and best use of your time?

For me, right now, the answer is clear. I don’t think I’ll be taking on any new clients this year. Between loving my active bunch, and holding space as always for my alumni crew, family + sleep + movies are going to beat finding more productivity opportunities.

Because Freedom Through Business was never about maximising output. It was about choosing what matters.

What’s the best use of your time today?