OG Tuesday Issue #255

The Assist Newsletter
August 11, 2025
A bold motivational quote on a striped blue, yellow, lavender, and light blue background reads: "My worth isn’t tied to productivity; I’m valuable simply because I exist.”

✅ Today’s Checklist:

  • The 4-step fix for “meh” AI results
  • Stop email from hijacking your day
  • You deserve more than “at least you love it”

🤔 Riddle me this: You can give me away, but I still stay with you. What am I? (Find the answer on the bottom).

🗓️ Upcoming Event: Join our free Aug 21 workshop with Next Arrow to learn how HR teams can show up better for working parents (just in time for National Working Parents Day!).

QUICK LINKS

Flowtime lets you work with your brain, not against it.

📩 These ChatGPT prompts can take inbox overwhelm off your plate.

📚 This LMS roundup makes employee training way less boring.

🧬 Get smart on fertility care with real-talk reviews and doctor ratings.

AI UPSKILLING

Illustration of a person thoughtfully looking at a humanoid robot who is showing them a screen with lines of code, representing a collaborative interaction between human and AI.

How to Get Way Better Results from AI (in 4 Steps)

 

Ever stared at a ChatGPT response like, “WTF is this?”

The problem is that most people talk to AI like it’s a mind reader. It’s not. It’s more like a very eager, slightly clueless intern who wants to help…but will absolutely take you literally and run straight into a wall unless you spell things out.

That’s where the ARC(E) Framework comes in. It’s the exact method we teach (and go way deeper into) in our signature AI course, Prompt, Scale, Win.

  • A = Action 🛠 What do you want it to do? Write, summarize, analyze, translate, brainstorm. Start with a verb.
  • R = Role 🎭 Who should it act like? A recruiter? A therapist? A salty Gen Z brand strategist? Give it a vibe and a voice.
  • C = Context 📦 What background does it need? Think tone, format, audience, goals—don’t make it guess. (It’s bad at that.)
  • (E) = Example 📌 Optional, but clutch and highly recommended. Show it what good and bad look like. Paste in a quick sample, template, or format.

Before:

“Write a follow-up email to a client.”

ARC(E)-ified:

“Act like a senior account manager. Write a warm but direct follow-up email to a client who’s gone silent for 10 days. Keep it under 120 words and include a clear CTA. Use a tone like this: [insert example].”

Way more specific. Way better results. Way less AI roulette.

This framework works whether you’re delegating content, research, planning, or trying to avoid writing that awkward email for the third time this week.

circle image of Joanna, Co-Founder of TA

Joanna (TA Co-Founder)

CHATGPT PROMPTS

Promotional graphic featuring the text “100 ChatGPT Prompts to Transform Your Efficiency” and an image of a book titled Supercharge Your Workday With ChatGPT by HubSpot, positioned against an orange background with sparkles.

Still Typing “Write a Work Email” into ChatGPT?

 

Let’s fix that. HubSpot dropped a free prompt guide packed with 100+ copy-paste gems that’ll help you work faster, sound smarter, and skip the AI confusion spiral.

Here’s what’s inside:

  • 🔍 Industry-Specific Use Cases: 15+ ways real pros are using AI at work (yes, even in your role)
  • ⚡ Productivity Guide: 21 tips to help you stop guessing and start prompting like a boss
  • 💬 Prompt Powerhouse: 100+ ready-to-use prompts for emails, content, data, support, and more
  • 🚫 Challenge Buster: Clear solutions for common “ugh, why isn’t this working?” moments

Basically, if you’ve ever side-eyed AI, this’ll turn you into the person your team asks for help.

👉 Snag the free guide here.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

Illustration of a person sitting in front of a laptop, overwhelmed by a flood of colorful email envelopes flying toward them, with a shocked expression on their face.

Your Inbox Is Stealing Your Brainpower

 

You sit down to work on a big project, and boom. You’re neck-deep in email replies before you’ve even opened the doc.

Leticia B. put it perfectly:

“I keep getting bogged down with emails and don’t have time for project management.”

Email has a way of feeling urgent, even when it’s not important. And without a system, it’ll hijack your day before you’ve made real progress.

Here’s how to take your inbox from energy drain to streamlined sidekick:

🔍 Switch to a “triage” mindset

Your inbox isn’t your to-do list. But it is where tasks sneak in. Try this: every email should land in one of three bucket — Delete, File, or Needs Action. Only the last one deserves space in your primary inbox.

Everything else? Archive it or move it along. Start by sorting your inbox by sender and mass-deleting the noise. Don’t overthink it. If you haven’t opened it by now, you probably won’t.

📂 Create smart filters that work how you do

In Gmail, set up labels and filters like “Follow-Up,” “Read Later,” and “Waiting On.” In Outlook, use categories, folders, and Quick Steps to color-code priorities and automate recurring actions. You can even set rules that reroute incoming messages based on sender or subject, so the clutter never hits your main view.

📅 Schedule your inbox (and your real work)

Email will fill every inch of your day if you let it. Don’t. Check it 2–3x daily; then log out. Put your actual priorities on the calendar and treat them like unmissable meetings with future you.

Tip: Block off one digital clean-up session this week. Sort, purge, archive. Use tools like Gemini to summarize or label in bulk. Try Outlook’s Clean Up feature to remove duplicate threads.

Want to try an AI inbox management tool? Check out Sanebox.

You’ve got better things to do than babysit your inbox. Build a system once, and buy yourself hours of brain space back.

SYSTEMS THAT STICK

Illustration of a confident woman in office attire breaking through a glass wall with a briefcase in hand, running away from a desk and laptop, symbolizing breaking free or making a bold career move.

Organized People Aren’t Magic. They’re Just System-Smart.

 

You know that one coworker who’s somehow…never frazzled?

Her inbox is zero’d out. Her files are named things like “Final_v1” (and it actually is). Her team isn’t Slacking her “Where’s that deck?” every 12 seconds.

She’s not superhuman. She just has better systems.

Here’s how you can, too:

  • monday.com: Centralize your work. Track tasks, projects, and priorities in one easy view. Use this guide to set it up once and never look back.
  • Quickbase: When your spreadsheets start spiraling, build a custom workflow instead. No coding, no IT backlog, no chaos.
  • Docsie: Turn your team’s SOP graveyard into docs they’ll actually read (and update). No more “who owns this?” mysteries.
  • Zoho: Finally—CRM, email, tasks, and notes that live together, not in browser tab purgatory.

The secret? Organization isn’t about effort. It’s about building tools that remember, remind, and run things (so you don’t have to).

SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT

Even Passion Isn’t Worth Poor Treatment

 

“If you feel like you’re being mistreated, you’re probably not the only one. It’s okay to leave something, even your passion, if they do not value you.”

— L. Bruns (Librarian)

⭐️ Share your best career advice here so we can feature it in a future newsletter.

STAFF PICKS

Stuff We’re Loving This Week

 

🦷 A whitening kit that actually works and supports enamel.

📖 This wellness book is a lifeline for anyone navigating autoimmune stuff.

🌀 Feeling off? Start with an interactive guide that actually helps.

👩‍💼 HR software that doesn’t feel stuck in 2009.

JUST FOR FUN

A tweet from Warpaint Journal that reads: “No more girl bossing. I want to girl rest. Girl sleep. Girl lay down on the forest floor and be absorbed by nature. I want to girl moss.” Set against a red background with light pink squiggles.

JOB LEADS

A stylized ribbon banner with shades of blue and green displays the word "HIRING" in bold, dark blue letters on a cream-colored background. The design has a clean and modern look against a light gray backdrop.

Your Next Gig = One Click Away

 

SPILL THE TEA

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TA Poll OG Tues 255

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