Your Brain Dump Checklist

[0:00]

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On Tuesday, you talked everything out of your head and watched it turn into three short lists: bag it, barter it, better it.

And for a day or two, that felt great.

Then it's Thursday night, there are six new things rattling around in there, and that lovely list from Tuesday is buried in a chat you can't find.

What if your list could keep up with you? Today, I'll show you how to turn that brain dump into a checklist that updates itself, and how to hand off one job on it in minutes.

[0:40]

Hi, I'm Carie, and this is Tiny Wins with AI: five-minute AI tips for small business owners.

Welcome to episode two, and our very first level up. Here's how Fridays work. On Tuesday, I hand you one tiny win. On Friday, we take that same win up a notch, for when you're ready to go a little further.

If you haven't heard episode one yet, that's okay. Go back and do the two-minute brain dump first, then come find me here. This one will still be waiting for you.

So, quick recap. On Tuesday, you opened an AI app, tapped the microphone, and talked. Then you asked it to sort everything three ways: bag it, for things that aren't really important; barter it, for things someone else could do; and better it, for things only you can do.

Here's the thing about a brain dump, though. It's a snapshot, and your week keeps moving. By Friday, the list in your head doesn't match the list on your screen anymore.

So today, we're going to give that list a little staying power.

THE LEVEL UP: YOUR BRAIN DUMP CHECKLIST

[1:47]

There are four small steps. It's not as confusing as it sounds, and I'll put the exact words in the show notes.

And on Tuesday, I promised I'd record my screen while I build this. I did. So if you'd rather watch than listen, there's a quick tutorial waiting for you, and I'll tell you where to find it in a minute. For now, just listen.

Step one: open the same chat where you did your brain dump on Tuesday. If you can't find it, no problem. Just do a fresh brain dump right now. Then say this:

"Turn my list into a checklist I can keep."

In Claude, that checklist opens in its own little window beside the chat. Claude calls it an artifact. That's just a fancy word for a page it keeps for you. In ChatGPT or Gemini, ask for a canvas, and you'll get the same idea.

Step two: ask it to tag every item. Say:

"Tag every item as bag it, barter it, or better it."

Now each thing on your checklist has a little label beside it. And remember, it's a first pass. AI can make mistakes, just like humans. If it tagged something barter it and you know only you can do it, just tell it to move it. You have the final say.

Step three. This is the part I love. The next time your head fills up, in the car, getting ready, lying in bed, go back to that same chat, brain dump again, and say three words:

"Update my checklist."

That's it. It adds the new things, tags them, and keeps everything you already had. You're not starting over every time. You're just adding to one list that lives in one place.

Step four: look at your barter it pile and pick one job. Just one. Something like ordering printer ink, or sending that invoice. Then say:

"Write me a simple handoff template for this job. What it is, when it's due, and what done looks like."

You'll get back a few short lines. Say the job is ordering printer ink. It might say: two black, one color. Due Friday. Done looks like: it's in the drawer and the receipt is saved.

Now you can hand that to your assistant, your partner, or your teenager, and they don't have to come back to you with five questions. Handing it off takes minutes.

And that's your level up. One checklist that keeps up with you, and one job off your plate.

[4:25]

Now, that tutorial I promised. I recorded my screen while I built my own checklist, start to finish, so you can see every step and follow along this weekend. It's quick, and you can pause it whenever you need to. It's on my YouTube channel. Just search for Tiny Wins with AI, or tap the link in the show notes.

One quick safety note, same as Tuesday. Keep it to tasks. No passwords, no account numbers, and nobody else's private business. A checklist doesn't need any of that.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

So here's a question to sit with this weekend. What's one job you've been holding onto that someone else could do, if you gave them three clear lines?

Pick that one. Make the template. And notice how it feels to let it go.

And hang onto that checklist, because on Tuesday we're giving it a home. Right now it lives in one chat, and chats are easy to lose. I'll show you how to put it somewhere you can always find it, so you can say "update my checklist" from anywhere.

[5:28]

I want to hear what you bartered this week. Come find me at cariegiroux.com and tell me.

And if you're thinking, "Carie, I'd love this built for my whole business, not just my to-do list," that's exactly what I do. Book a free 30-minute brainstorm with me at cariegiroux.com. No pressure, just ideas.

I'll see you Tuesday. Now go get your tiny win, and have an amazing weekend.

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