I’ve tested dozens of AI tools over the past two years. Most are noise. But five have genuinely changed how I work — and I use them every single day.
1. Claude (Anthropic)
For long-form writing, strategy, and complex reasoning, Claude is unmatched. I use it to draft blog outlines, refine my tone, and even write WordPress PHP code. The context window means I can paste an entire article and get meaningful feedback.
2. Midjourney
Every hero image, thumbnail, and illustration on this site started as a Midjourney prompt. Once you learn the syntax, you can generate on-brand visuals in seconds.
3. Descript
I record raw video, upload it to Descript, and the AI removes filler words, generates captions, and exports a polished clip. My video editing time dropped from 3 hours to 20 minutes per video.
4. Perplexity
For research, Perplexity replaces 80% of my Google searches. It cites sources, surfaces recent data, and saves me from rabbit holes. I use it to fact-check before publishing.
5. Zapier + OpenAI
I’ve built automations that take my YouTube transcripts, summarize them with GPT, and draft a blog post in Notion — automatically. No human touch required until the final edit.
The common thread: these tools don’t replace creativity. They eliminate the grunt work so you can do more of it.
