A US entrepreneur has shared how her daily to-do list unexpectedly grew to 156 tasks, prompting her to rethink the way she uses artificial intelligence (AI) assistants to manage her workload. She warned that while AI tools can improve productivity, they can also create additional work instead of helping people complete existing tasks.
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Dr. Morissa Schwartz, an entrepreneur, author and AI strategist, shared her experience in an article for Fortune.
"I opened my daily to-do list and found 156 items," she wrote.
Schwartz, who founded GenZ Publishing and communications firm Dr. Rissy’s Writing & Marketing, holds a doctorate in literature and was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in Media in 2022.
When AI creates more work
Schwartz explained that her responsibilities include managing manuscripts, emails, projects and administrative tasks. However, she realised that many items on her list overlapped, while others were simply reminders about existing reminders.
{{/usCountry}}Schwartz explained that her responsibilities include managing manuscripts, emails, projects and administrative tasks. However, she realised that many items on her list overlapped, while others were simply reminders about existing reminders.
{{/usCountry}}"I had asked for help getting work done. I was getting very good at maintaining evidence that work existed," she wrote.
Although she remains a strong supporter of AI, Schwartz highlighted an important limitation of digital assistants.
According to her, asking an AI assistant to organise a project can generate a plan, followed by checklists and additional tasks. While each suggestion might appear useful individually, the combined workload can become overwhelming.
She argued that creating plans should not be confused with completing actual work.
Entrepreneur introduces new productivity rules
Following the experience, Schwartz decided to change how she manages tasks with AI assistance.
She now aims to limit her weekday list to approximately 25 meaningful entries, while prioritising genuine deadlines and essential responsibilities.
"If everything is due today, the list has stopped helping me decide what to do today," she explained.
She also wants related activities grouped together rather than scattered across multiple entries.
Another important change involves requiring evidence of completed work. For instance, an assistant claiming to have sent an email should provide confirmation, while published content should have a working link.
Schwartz also wants AI assistants to identify specific obstacles rather than simply reporting that a task cannot be completed.
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Most importantly, she believes productivity should be measured through actual outcomes, such as completed projects, submitted pitches and delivered assignments, rather than the number of tasks generated.
Despite the experience, Schwartz said she remains optimistic about AI's potential to simplify work.
"I would just like my to-do list to stop recruiting," she concluded.