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3 simple routines to integrate AI into your daily life as an SME leader

•Xavier Vincent
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You run an SME and you keep hearing about AI… but it never seems to show up in your day-to-day reality. Between urgent issues, back-to-back meetings and an overflowing inbox, it feels impossible to “find time for AI”.

The good news: you don’t need a big project, a huge budget or technical skills. By adding a few very simple routines to your week, AI can already help you save time, clarify your thinking and manage your business with more focus.

In this article, we’ll look at 3 routines any SME leader can adopt, with clear examples and step‑by‑step guidance, without jargon or technical complexity.

1. The “Decision of the day” routine: using AI as a mirror before you decide

Every day, you make quick calls: hire or not, accept a discount, invest in a tool, prioritise one project over another. Most of the time, you decide on instinct, simply because you lack time.

AI can become a structured mirror for your thinking. It will not decide for you, but it will help you see your options more clearly.

How this routine works

The idea is simple:

  1. Identify one decision you need to make today.
  2. Write down the context and question in an AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, or another assistant built into your tools).
  3. Ask the AI to structure your thinking: options, risks, criteria, action plan.

The goal is not to obey the AI, but to get a clearer, more complete view in just a few minutes.

Concrete example

You’re hesitating about hiring an extra salesperson.

You could write to the AI:

“I run an SME with 25 employees in the [X] sector. I’m not sure whether to hire an additional salesperson. Here is the context: [key figures: revenue, margin, customer portfolio, current team workload, targets]. Can you:

  1. List potential benefits of this hire;
  2. List the main risks;
  3. Suggest 3 possible scenarios (hire now, postpone, alternative) with pros/cons;
  4. Suggest 5 questions I should ask myself before deciding?”

In seconds, you get a structured overview. You still make the call, but you decide better and faster.

How to fit it into your schedule

  • Frequency: 1 decision per working day.
  • Time needed: 10–15 minutes max.
  • Support: a simple “Decision of the day” document or note.
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This routine also helps you build a decision log: over time, keeping track of your decisions and criteria makes your leadership more consistent.

2. The “Week under control” routine: planning with AI to protect your time

Many leaders are driven by their calendar instead of driving it:

  • Fragmented days,
  • No time to think deeply,
  • Meetings that overrun,
  • Important work always pushed back.

AI can help you take back control of your time without changing tools or overhauling your organisation.

The principle

Once a week (ideally Friday afternoon or Monday morning), you ask AI to help you structure your upcoming week.

  1. Export or copy the main blocks from your calendar (meetings, travel, key appointments).
  2. List your 3–5 top priorities for the week.
  3. Ask AI to suggest a realistic schedule with protected time blocks.

Example prompt

“Here is my calendar for next week: [paste main meetings]. Here are my 4 business priorities: [list]. Can you propose a weekly structure that:

  • groups similar tasks together,
  • reserves 2‑hour blocks for strategic work,
  • leaves space for unexpected issues,
  • and gives me a simple daily checklist?”

AI can suggest:

  • Non‑negotiable “strategy” blocks,
  • Clusters of meetings to reduce context‑switching,
  • Dedicated slots for team follow‑up,
  • Buffer slots to absorb emergencies.

Moving from suggestion to action

  • Validate or adjust the proposed schedule (you are still the pilot).
  • Block the key slots in your calendar straight away.
  • Optionally share some slots with your team (availability, protected time, etc.).

With this routine, AI becomes an organisation assistant: it doesn’t decide your priorities, but it helps you turn them into real time in your agenda.

3. The “Flash summary” routine: turning raw information into actionable decisions

As an SME leader, you are flooded with information:

  • Activity reports,
  • Meeting minutes,
  • Long emails,
  • Documents from partners, banks or your accountant.

The result: much of what matters is skimmed too fast… or never read.

AI can help turn these materials into short, actionable summaries.

How to use this routine

  1. Copy and paste a document, long email or meeting minutes into an AI tool.
  2. Ask for a structured, decision‑oriented summary.
  3. Ask the AI to suggest 3 concrete actions or decisions.

Example request:

“Here is a 4‑page sales meeting report. Can you:

  • Summarise it in up to 10 bullet points,
  • Highlight the main risks or watch‑outs,
  • Suggest 3 decisions or concrete actions at management level?”

You can also ask for a summary table (actions, owners, deadlines) to make follow‑up easier.

Where this routine is particularly useful

  • Before management meetings: you arrive with a clear overview.
  • When preparing a bank or investor meeting.
  • To quickly understand a technical or legal document (bearing in mind that professional advice is still required).

AI becomes an intelligent filter, transforming information overload into useful signals for decision‑making.

Practical section: installing your 3 routines in 7 days

You can embed these three routines into your daily life within a week, without redesigning your organisation.

Days 1–2: choose your tools and set simple rules

  • Pick the main AI tool you’ll use (ChatGPT, an assistant in your office suite, etc.).
  • Define a few simple rules:
    • Don’t paste highly sensitive or personal data without checking.
    • Never let AI make a critical decision alone.
    • Always review AI‑generated messages before sending them to a client or partner.

Days 3–4: test your first routine

  • Choose either the “Decision of the day” routine or the “Flash summary” routine.
  • Use it every day for two days.
  • Note what it brings you (time saved, more clarity, better‑prepared decisions, etc.).

Day 5: add the “Week under control” routine

  • Spend 30 minutes preparing the following week with AI.
  • Immediately block the strategic slots in your calendar.

Days 6–7: adjust and formalise

  • Decide which routines you’ll keep every week (at least 2 out of 3).
  • Capture them in a simple one‑page document:
    • When you use them,
    • With which tool,
    • With what type of prompts.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s to make these routines as natural as checking your email or reviewing your cash position.

Conclusion

With a few simple routines, AI stops being a buzzword and becomes a concrete executive assistant:

  • It structures your thinking without taking decisions away from you.
  • It helps you protect your time and energy.
  • It turns raw information into concrete next steps.
  • It fits into your existing tools without heavy projects.

What matters most is not understanding every detail of AI, but giving it a clear place in your weekly schedule. Once these routines are in place, you’ll quickly feel the difference in your clarity, peace of mind and decision-making.

If you’d like support in your digital transformation, Lyten Agency can help you identify and automate your key processes. Contact us for a free audit.

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