Over the past year, I’ve actively integrated AI tools into my workflow, and a few of them have genuinely helped reduce burnout and preserve mental energy.
Not all tools lived up to the hype, but the right ones made a real difference.
One of the most helpful tools for me has been Notion AI. I use it daily to organize thoughts, brainstorm ideas, and draft outlines. What sets it apart is how naturally it fits into my existing note-taking habits.
Instead of staring at a blank page trying to find the perfect opening sentence or structure for a piece, I’ll ask Notion to generate a few versions. Even if I don’t use them directly, it sparks momentum, and that alone lifts a surprising amount of mental weight.
Another tool I’ve come to rely on is Grammarly, especially the premium version.
While it’s easy to dismiss as just a grammar checker, its tone suggestions and clarity rewrites actually reduce a lot of the overthinking I used to do while writing emails, blog posts, or even just Slack messages.
It’s like having a second pair of eyes that aren’t emotionally invested in your writing, so you don’t burn out from constantly re-reading and second-guessing yourself.
For managing tasks and scheduling, I’ve found Motion incredibly useful. It goes beyond to-do lists by automatically planning your day based on your deadlines and meeting times.
It helps me avoid decision fatigue, which used to creep in every morning when I had to decide what to tackle first. Now I just open my calendar, and it’s already mapped out. That seemingly small shift gave me back more mental clarity than I expected.
When it comes to writing longer content, like articles or client copy, I sometimes use ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner. I don’t use it to write entire pieces, but it’s excellent at helping me think through structure, anticipate reader questions, or explore alternative ways of phrasing something.
What makes this especially valuable is the sense that I don’t have to hold every detail in my head anymore. I can offload some of the cognitive load, which directly reduces the mental strain that used to come with deep writing sessions.
What ties all of these tools together is that they don’t just speed up my work; they remove the emotional friction around getting started and staying focused. That’s the real win.
When you’re burnt out, it’s not usually the volume of work that crushes you. It’s the weight of constantly having to decide, edit, adjust, and self-manage. These tools, used with intention, lift some of that weight in subtle but significant ways.
And maybe most importantly, they’ve helped me reserve energy for creative thinking and real human connection, which is where I feel the most energized and fulfilled.