Welcome back to Bite Sized Bots!
Ever had one of those weeks where you worked nonstop… and still ended up behind?
You didn’t slack.
You didn’t mismanage your time.
And you’re not “bad at productivity.”
You’re just drowning in hidden hours — the repeatable, low-value tasks that quietly eat up your day.
The encouraging part? Most of these tasks don’t actually need you anymore.
Small business owners using AI are already saving 2–5 hours each week simply by offloading structured, repetitive work to an AI assistant. No complicated systems. No major changes to how they work. Just clarity on where AI helps first.
And that clarity is exactly what today’s issue gives you.
What’s Inside
Why most people automate the wrong tasks
The 7-step Hidden Hours Audit
A simple scoring system that shows what to automate — and what to keep human-led
The common tasks that almost always score high
How to grab the full audit worksheet to do this in minutes
Prefer to watch instead of read?
Here’s the 7-Step Hidden Hours Audit video.
Why Most People Automate the Wrong Things
When people start using AI, they usually make one of two mistakes.
1. Starting with tasks that are too complex
High-stakes client work. Emotional conversations. One-off creative projects.
AI can help here — but only after you’ve built confidence with small wins.
2. Automating whatever sounds exciting
Instead of the tasks that actually save time.
Your advantage: this audit shows you a simple, safe way to identify your true first wins — the tasks AI can handle predictably, repeatably, and with minimal risk.
A 15-minute checkup to uncover the tasks AI should handle first.
(This is the high-level version. The full worksheet comes with scoring tools.)
1. Weekly Task Brain Dump
List every task you repeat in a normal week. No filtering, no judgment — just a clear picture of what’s really happening.
2. Time Reality Check
Add rough weekly time estimates. Gut-level ranges are perfect. This alone shows where your time goes.
3. The Repetition Check
Look at how predictable the task is — same inputs, same outputs, repeated formats.
In the table, write a brief note such as:
Same format weekly
Repeatable steps
Varies slightly
Different every time
4. The Rules Check
Could you describe the task in 3–5 steps to someone else?
If yes, this is AI-friendly. If no, keep it human-led.
Pro tip:
Star any patterned tasks that also slow customer response, payment collection, or project progress.
5. The Stakes Check
Ask: What happens if this goes wrong?
Low stakes: drafts, sorting, summaries → great first wins
Medium stakes: client-facing but reviewable → automate with checkpoints
High stakes: legal, financial, sensitive → keep human
6. The AI Fit Score
Now go back and assign a score between 1 and 5 for Repetition, Rules, and Risk.
Scoring scale:
Repetition
1 = Rare
3 = Weekly
5 = Daily
Rules
1 = Changes every time
3 = Some structure
5 = Same steps every time
Risk (reverse scale)
1 = High risk
3 = Medium risk
5 = Low risk
Add the three numbers together for each task — that’s your AI Fit Score.
Score interpretation (from worksheet):
13–15 → Automate now
9–11 → Automate soon
Below 9 → Keep human-led
7. Pick Your Power Three
Choose the three highest-scoring tasks.
These are your first automation wins — often giving you hours back in a week.
Snapshot Examples (to See How Scoring Works)
High Fit Tasks
Meeting notes to action items (predictable, internal, weekly)
FAQ-style responses (same inputs and outputs, easy to review)
Scheduling back-and-forth (clear rules, constant repetition)
Low Fit Tasks
Client strategy sessions (high nuance)
Sensitive client issues (emotional tone)
AI handles the repetitive, predictable tasks.
You focus on the more complex work that required judgement.
Quick Wins to Start With
These tasks almost always score high:
Data copying
Reformatting information
Meeting summaries
Simple reminder emails
Filing and organizing
If you’re unsure where to begin, start here.
Grab the Full Audit Worksheet
The Hidden Hours Audit gives you clarity, control, and time — without changing how your business runs or the quality your clients expect.
Reply “7-Step Audit Worksheet, please!” below and I’ll send you the worksheet.
Talk next week!