​Hi Friend,

I’ve been using the term “donkey work” a lot lately, and some of you have been asking what I mean by it. Fair enough. Let me explain.

When I started paying attention to AI, I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t want it writing for me. I didn’t want it making my videos or drafting my newsletters. That’s the work I love. That’s the stuff I wake up wanting to do. If I hand that off to a machine, what’s left?

But I also realized I spend hours every day on stuff that has nothing to do with creation. Resetting a customer’s password. Chasing down links for a blog post. Formatting show notes. Updating spreadsheets. Processing email. None of that is creative work. It’s necessary, but it’s not why I’m here.

That’s donkey work. The administrative tedium that fills your day and keeps you from the work that actually matters to you.

And here’s what I’ve figured out. The current state of AI is really good at donkey work. Not perfect, but good. If you spend some time setting things up, you can get AI to handle a surprising amount of the tedium.

I’m talking about real, practical stuff you can do today. Not someday. Today.

The big AI companies are so busy talking about artificial general intelligence and curing cancer that they’re skipping over the boring part.

Right now, Claude can process my email. It can triage my task list. It can process a customer service request. It can look up information I need for a blog post in seconds instead of the 20 minutes it used to take me. That’s not science fiction. That’s today.

I don’t look at AI as a replacement for me. I look at it as a way to get my time back. Every hour I save on donkey work is an hour I can spend writing, recording, or teaching. That’s the trade I’m making, and so far it’s a good one.

You’ll be hearing more about this from me. I’m living at the sharp end of this stuff every day, testing what works and what doesn’t.

But I wanted to put a name on the concept because I think it changes how you think about AI. Stop asking “Can AI do my job?” Start asking, “Can AI do the parts of my job I don’t want to do?”

For a lot of us, the answer is already yes. The solutions to your tedium problems might be closer than you think.

Your pal,

David

P.S. Do you want to help me out? Why not recommend this newsletter to a friend?​

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​MindNode: Mind Mapping Meets Apple Watch (Sponsor)

This newsletter is sponsored by MindNode.

I’ve been using MindNode for years. Some projects don’t fit in linear lists. They need space to branch, to connect in ways that only make sense when you can see the whole picture at once. That’s where mind mapping works, and MindNode is the best mind mapping tool for Apple users.

MindNode makes capturing ideas frictionless. I keep a full-screen mind map open on my Mac and swipe to it throughout the day when thoughts hit. Add a node, see how it connects to everything else, swipe back to work. The idea is captured before it vanishes.

You can start messy. Branch ideas in every direction. Then switch to outline view when you need structure. The two views stay in sync, so you get both visual thinking and organized output without choosing between them.

Apple Shortcuts and Apple Watch

MindNode offers Apple Shortcuts integration that lets you automate your brainstorming. You can trigger mind map creation, add nodes programmatically, or build workflows that capture ideas from other apps directly into your maps.

And here’s what just launched this week: MindNode now has an Apple Watch app. You can view your mind maps as outlines on your wrist, check off tasks, and even edit content on the go. I didn’t expect mind mapping to work on a watch, but the outline view makes it practical. When you’re away from your devices and need to reference a project or mark something complete, it’s there.

The Details

MindNode runs natively on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro, and now Apple Watch. Your documents sync through iCloud, which keeps your data private and encrypted. The team at IdeasOnCanvas has been building MindNode for over 17 years.

Recent updates include Focus Mode, improved manual layout controls, and Apple Intelligence features for brainstorming. You can export tasks directly to OmniFocus and Things if that fits your workflow.

If you’re looking for a better way to organize ideas, check out MindNode. The Apple Watch integration is just the latest reason it keeps earning a spot in my productivity stack.