Reclaim '1 Hour a Day' with Generative AI: 3 Tasks Where Microsoft Copilot First Becomes Useful

In the previous article, I wrote about the mindset of reducing small tasks with generative AI to reclaim a little bit of time every day.

As a follow-up, this time I will introduce three tasks where you can easily feel the effects of using Microsoft Copilot first.

In conclusion, there is no need to automate large tasks from the start.

By simply delegating the three tasks of 'reading,' 'organizing,' and 'drafting,' you can significantly reduce your daily minor burdens.

*This article assumes the use of Microsoft 365 Copilot or Copilot Chat permitted for use at your company. Available features vary depending on your subscription plan, administrator settings, and individual access permissions.

1. Turn long emails into 'next steps'

The reason you get tired on days with many emails is not so much the volume of reading itself, but rather the constant mental effort of organizing:

• What was ultimately decided?
• What do I need to handle?
• When do I need to reply by?

in your head.

With Copilot in Outlook, you can summarize the key points of an email thread. Just by getting into the habit of checking the summary before reading the entire text when you open a long email, things become much easier.

Furthermore, don't just stop at the summary; make a request like the following:

Do not guess; if an item is not supported by the text, please label it as 'unknown'.

The point is not to just ask it to 'summarize.'

Specifying the format for your next action makes it easier to reduce the time spent processing emails.

2. Turn post-meeting notes into a 'task list'

After a meeting, the task of tidying up the minutes takes a surprisingly long time.

However, what is truly necessary is not recording every statement neatly, but clarifying the next actions.

Based on Teams meeting records or notes you have taken yourself, have it organize them as follows:

1. Decisions
2. Pending items
3. Tasks by person in charge
4. Deadlines
5. Things to confirm by the next meeting

If the person in charge or the deadline is not specified, do not fill it in; mark it as 'To be confirmed'.

The important thing about this usage is not to leave the 'completion of the minutes' to Copilot.

It is to create a draft of tasks that the team can check immediately after the meeting.

By checking the final version yourself, you can prevent missed information or incorrect task assignments while reducing the effort of organizing.

3. Do not 'write from scratch' for emails or documents

Request emails, progress reports, meeting invitations, and document headings.

Even for short sentences, starting from scratch takes surprisingly long.

It is best to think of Copilot not as someone to whom you dump the finished product, but as someone who creates a '70-point draft' for you.

For example, for an internal request email, you can ask as follows:

・Convey the request in the first sentence

・Be polite but not long-winded

・Use bullet points

・The deadline is September 30th

・Finally, include a contact person for any questions

[Content to convey]

Write the facts here in bullet points

The same applies when creating documents in Word.

If you have an initial draft, humans can focus on 'editing' rather than 'writing'.

This difference leads to small daily time savings.

4 elements for using Copilot conveniently

When giving instructions to Copilot, it is more important to provide the necessary information than to write a long prompt.

• Objective: What do you want to create?
• Premise: Who is the content for?
• Format: Bullet points, tables, emails, etc.
• Constraints: Character count, deadlines, do not speculate, etc.

For example, instead of just saying 'write an email,' you can reduce the number of revisions by saying,

'Write a request email with a deadline for internal team members, within 300 characters. Use bullet points and do not speculate.'

However, the final check must be done by a human.

Copilot is convenient, but it is dangerous to send or share generated results as they are.

In particular, always check the following items:

• Numbers, dates, and proper nouns
• Personnel in charge and deadlines
• Handling of confidential information and personal data
• Expressions related to internal rules and contracts
• Whether facts and speculation are mixed

It is also important not to input customer information, unpublished materials, or third-party copyrighted works into external AI services not permitted by your company. Use it within the scope of company rules and access rights.

First, try just one thing today.

We recommend choosing just one long email you received today and having the AI organize the main points and your tasks.

Rather than major business reform, reduce one small repetitive task.

That accumulation will change generative AI from something you 'know about' to something you 'can use for work.'