I can't imagine life without my family office of bots
I've had a virtual personal assistant, and a small team of bots behind it, for less than two weeks. I already can't picture going back.
I was first at university from 1991 to 1996, right when the internet went mainstream, and within a few years it was hard to imagine life without it. This feels like a bigger step change than even that, at least from where I sit.
What my career asked of me
Over my working life I drafted and sent an enormous number of communications. I supported team members, tracked projects and gave presentations. I had to understand the P&L and push EBITDA in the right direction. I helped build and track team bonus plans, worked with analysts to understand the business trends, and gave status updates to owners and management. I did all of it while managing my own adult ADD, with arguably not very much personal administrative help, all things considered.
What changed in two weeks
Now I have a team. One bot handles my inbox, one our money, one my files, and a Chief of Staff (my own CEO) that sends me a morning brief and a nightly summary. In between, they only interrupt me when I need to decide something or a draft is ready for me to send. Nothing goes out until I press Send, and when I correct a bot, the correction becomes a rule for all of them.
The moment it got real was this evening. I handed over a pile of receipts for benefits I'd never have chased, and in a single night I submitted about $1,000 in claims. That's roughly two-thirds of a year of SuperGrok Plus, and I'm filing more tomorrow. The money isn't in yet, so I'll call it an estimate until it lands, but it already looks like this will more than pay for itself.
Would I appreciate it without the pain?
I'm not sure I would. I value this so much because I lived the work it takes off my plate. Someone starting out today gets it without ever feeling that pain, and will probably take it for granted, the way we take the internet for granted now. But if admin has ever worn you down, or your brain just doesn't love follow-ups and paperwork, this is the closest thing to a great assistant I've found.
I couldn't have imagined it while I was doing the job. Now I can't imagine doing the job without it.