Chill Labs is a boutique consultancy helping companies think strategically, solve business problems, and streamline operations utilizing Product Management, Software Engineering principles and AI. Combining a decade of experience running complex, globally distributed software products with expertise in product discovery, user research, and strategy, Chill Labs helps companies build products that users want and do so in a way that supports growth and scale. Dina Levitan, Founder and Principal at Chill Labs, based out of Seattle, WA, brings over 15 years of experience as a product and technical leader ranging from startups to companies like Google.
The 20% AI Shouldn't Touch
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Hi Reader, A guest on the podcast this month dropped a line that's been clarifying a lot of conversations I've been in since: Automate 80%. Keep the 20% that makes it yours. The 80% is anyone-with-the-right-prompt work. The 20% is the part that requires you being you. Your specific perspective. The decisions no one else can make. Your read of the situation. That distinction is critical right now. What I'm Noticing Most of the AI conversations I'm having with product leaders, fractional consultants, and founders come down to the same quiet anxiety: "what am I even doing if AI can do most of what I do?" The answer isn't "you're useless now." It's "you've been spending too much time on the 80%." A client this week had AI generate 12 versions of a product brief. He was thrilled until he realized he'd just produced more material than he could possibly review. The next conversation we had was about what only he could decide: which version reflected the real customer problem he was watching unfold. AI couldn't do that. It didn't have his context. It didn't have his understanding of the customer. Underneath the AI noise, the question hasn't changed: what's the call only you can make? Your Next Move This week, run a quick 80/20 audit on your own work. One trap to avoid before you start: "could AI produce this output?" isn't the right test. AI can produce almost anything. The question is whether the decisions that shaped the output came from you.
Do this next week: Block two hours that you'd normally spend on 80% work. Use them for the 20%. The decisions only you can make. Life Beyond the Screen I've been thinking about this in my own life too. My kid asked me a question over breakfast that no AI could answer for me. Not because the answer was complicated. Because the answer needed to come from her parent. Specifically. The same thing happens in coaching calls. The same thing happens when a friend texts me about a hard decision. The same thing happens when I'm writing this newsletter, deciding which line to keep and which to cut. The 20% is everywhere. We've just been undervaluing it because the 80% used to take up all our time. A question for this week: What if the work that feels like "just being you" is the most valuable work you do? Work with me directly. If you want a thinking partner on your product strategy, AI rollout, or building your fractional practice, here is more information about how I work with people. Let's Chillaborate, Dina Founder, Chill Labs PS: This idea came from my conversation with Cien Solon on the latest podcast episode. If you want the full version of where the 80/20 frame came from, check out her episode. 💙 |
Chill Labs
Chill Labs is a boutique consultancy helping companies think strategically, solve business problems, and streamline operations utilizing Product Management, Software Engineering principles and AI. Combining a decade of experience running complex, globally distributed software products with expertise in product discovery, user research, and strategy, Chill Labs helps companies build products that users want and do so in a way that supports growth and scale. Dina Levitan, Founder and Principal at Chill Labs, based out of Seattle, WA, brings over 15 years of experience as a product and technical leader ranging from startups to companies like Google.
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