She’s ba-aaaack! Welcome back to Friday Five, where I share five ways I used AI this week (non-work related, not trying to bore you unless you’re into that!), plus prompts you can copy and use yourself.
This week involved a missing cat, a chair in need of surgery, a minor lasagna 911 and my latest obsession: building an AI librarian that tells me when books I want to read are available at the library. Aren’t you excited to peek inside the semi-scary reality that is the inside of my brain??
ANYWAY. Here are five things I found useful. Kinda random, but useful.
1. 📚 Built my own AI librarian
Okay, this one I’m VERY excited about.
I have 111 books on my Goodreads Want to Read list. And whenever I’m ready for a new book, I end up bouncing between Goodreads, Libby and my library’s website trying to figure out which ones are available.
It’s. SO. Annoying! Especially because I have access to two different library systems. I just felt like this was a huge time suck and a clunky, manual way to constantly be told that the books I want have an 8-week wait list.
So I asked AI to help me build an AI Librarian that checks my entire Goodreads list against my libraries, across ebooks, audiobooks and physical books.
We exported my Goodreads list, created a tracker with all 111 books and mapped out a system to check availability and send me a weekly roundup of books available to borrow.
The automated availability alerts are still a work in progress, but the goal is to never manually cross-check these lists again. Will keep you posted on how this one evolves!
THE PROMPT:
I have a Goodreads Want to Read list and library cards at [YOUR LIBRARIES]. Help me create a system that compares the books on my list with what’s available to borrow as ebooks, audiobooks and physical books. I want a weekly summary of books currently available, without having to check each title myself. Walk me through the simplest way to build this, including what can actually be automated.
2. 🪑 Figured out how to repair a ripped leather chair
We have a leather chair at our Palm Desert place with a ripped seam. I really didn’t want to replace the chair, but I also had NO idea how to fix it. Not exactly Suzy Homemaker over here.
So I uploaded photos of the damage, along with a list of suggested sewing supplies, and asked AI to help me figure out exactly what I needed.
It gave me exact lists of the tools and materials (aka curved needles and heavy-duty thread, who knew) and links to buy.
Much better than grabbing duct tape and hoping for the best.
THE PROMPT:
[UPLOAD PHOTOS] I want to repair this instead of replacing it. Assess the damage, tell me whether this looks like a reasonable DIY project, and give me a shopping list of the specific tools and materials I’ll need. Explain the repair process for a beginner and flag anything that’s better left to a professional.
3. 🍝 Rescued my lasagna mid-bake
I was making turkey lasagna when I pulled off the foil and discovered the top layer of noodles was HARD and curling up at the edges.
Uh….what?
Instead of trying to figure out what had gone wrong while dinner was actively cooking, I told AI exactly what was happening and asked how to save it.
The useful part was being able to troubleshoot the situation, not start reading an entirely new recipe OR giving up and having to make another dinner. Because you KNOW I’m not about to do that.
THE PROMPT:
I’m cooking [DISH] and something has gone wrong. Here’s the recipe: [PASTE]. Here’s what I’ve done so far: [DETAILS]. And here’s what’s happening: [PROBLEM]. Tell me how to fix it RIGHT NOW using what I already have, without starting over.
I’m guessing this works for a lot of cooking emergencies. And as someone who cooks while listening to a podcast/texting/unloading the dishes/responding to small children, I’ll probably use this hack again.
4. 🐈 Got a game plan for our missing cat
CAT DRAMA.
Our indoor cat Diamond went missing. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do…do you walk around the neighborhood calling the cat’s name? Do you leave food out? Where exactly should I be looking?
Obviously, AI isn’t a substitute for an actual animal professional. BUT it was helpful to have a starting plan instead of frantically Googling 19 different questions, especially when I was V stressed.
Also spoiler alert…he was trapped in the linen closet the whole time. Face palm.
THE PROMPT:
Here’s the situation with my pet: [DESCRIBE]. Help me make a practical, step-by-step action plan. What should I do immediately, what should I avoid, what supplies might I need, and when should I contact a veterinarian or animal rescue? Prioritize the animal’s safety and distinguish established guidance from anything uncertain.
5. 🧳 Turned a family trip into an actual packing plan
We just got back from Yosemite with the kids, staying in a cabin/tent situation, WITH 160 other families from school who organized potlucks and group bike rides, and the packing list was...a lot. Especially as someone who doesn’t camp.
I didn’t want to buy a bunch of camping gear we’d use once and then store in our (already packed) garage forever. So I used AI to work through the packing requirements, the expected cold weather, what we already owned and what we actually needed to buy.
The most useful part was asking it to separate essentials from nice-to-haves. Because otherwise every packing list makes it sound like you need to buy an entirely new lifestyle (and a storage unit to go with it, xo).
THE PROMPT:
I’m traveling to [DESTINATION] from [DATES] with [WHO]. We’re staying in [ACCOMMODATIONS] and doing [ACTIVITIES]. Here’s what we already own: [LIST]. Research the expected weather and make a realistic packing list, divided into MUST BRING, NICE TO HAVE and DON’T BOTHER. Highlight anything we need to buy, and suggest ways to avoid unnecessary purchases.
And that’s this week’s Friday Five!
My favorite thing about AI lately is that I’m finding ways to use it for stuff that would otherwise require a ton of research, back-and-forth or figuring things out from scratch.
Not everything needs AI, OBVIOUSLY (said emphatically by someone who has spent her entire professional career as a writer!). But when it can save me an hour of Googling or help me solve a problem I have zero experience with? YES PLEASE.
Have you used AI for something helpful lately? Tell me in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas.
See you next Friday! 👋
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