Some things just get you super excited - like the kind of excited where you jump right up and do something, even if it's really late at night! For me, there aren't many things that get me that pumped up, but I can definitely name a few: hanging out with my grandsons, learning about spiritual stuff, making paper flowers, and lately, playing around with free AI tools that just blow my mind!
Let me tell you about this cool thing called NotebookLM - it's free from Google and it's pretty awesome. You can take all your favorite stuff (like videos or articles) and put them together in one place. Then you can actually talk to it about all that information! For example, I threw in a bunch of my favorite workout videos and asked ai to make me a 6-week workout plan. It can even make podcasts that sum up everything you put in there.
I use NotebookLM in so many ways. I put all my favorite cookbooks in there, and when I'm staring at my fridge wondering what to make, I just tell it what ingredients I have and - boom! - it gives me recipe ideas. Or if I'm craving something specific, like an easy chocolate dessert that I don't have to bake, it finds that too! Here's something kind of different - I put all my favorite spiritual books in there, and when I need help making a decision, I can sort of talk it through using all that wisdom. At work, it helps me find important quotes, spot patterns, and write memos based on reports.
The best part? I haven't spent a penny on AI stuff yet. Between ChatGPT, Claude, NotebookLM, and Gemini, I have everything I need for free! When I need to look something up, I like using Perplexity instead of just Googling it. All these free tools are pretty amazing at what they do. I recently discovered Google AI Studio which is like having someone look over your shoulder (your computer screen actually) and help you figure out whatever you are working on. For example, if you are working in excel, and need help figuring out a formula, you just ask it to figure it out and the best part...it does!
Here's what I'm trying to say: AI isn't scary - at least not right now. Just try it out! Use it to make your life and job easier and better. It's like having a helper right next to you whenever you need one. There's so many interesting ways you can leverage it to your advantage - you just have to jump in and get creative!
