You're using AI. That's good.
But are you using it well? Or are you stuck in the productivity trap, where AI theoretically helps, but in practice you're spending more time wrestling with tools than getting work done?
This checklist will tell you.
Go through these 10 questions. For every "no," you've found a gap. For every gap, there's a fix. And if you're missing more than three, you're ready for a real AI system, not just a collection of tools.
The 10-Point Personal AI Checklist
□ Does your AI remember you across sessions?
If you're re-explaining who you are, what you do, and how you work every time you open a new conversation, you don't have memory. You have amnesia.
□ Can your AI access your email without copy-paste?
If you're manually pasting emails into ChatGPT for triage or drafting, you're the integration layer, and that's a waste of your time.
□ Does your AI know your calendar and upcoming commitments?
If your AI can't see your schedule, it can't help you prep for meetings, block focus time, or suggest when to tackle tasks.
□ Can your AI reference your notes and documents?
Your Notion workspace, Obsidian vault, or Google Drive is full of valuable context. If your AI can't see it, you're constantly re-explaining things that already exist.
□ Do you have automations that run without you?
If you're manually triggering the same AI prompts every day (email triage, meeting prep, research summaries), you're doing work that shouldn't require a human.
□ Is your AI tuned to your specific communication style?
Generic AI output feels… generic. If every email draft or doc summary sounds like it came from a corporate template, your AI doesn't know your voice.
□ Do you have privacy controls you actually understand?
If you're pasting sensitive client data, legal docs, or proprietary info into public AI tools, and you don't know exactly where that data goes, you have a security problem.
□ Can your AI handle multi-step tasks end-to-end?
If you're asking your AI to "research X," then separately asking it to "summarize findings," then manually combining everything, you're doing orchestration work that should be automated.
□ Does your AI system work across devices?
If your AI setup only works on your laptop, what happens when you're on your phone, tablet, or a different computer? You lose all the context and continuity.
□ Are you confident your AI setup won't break when models update?
AI is evolving fast. If your setup is tightly coupled to one model version or provider, what happens when they deprecate the API or change pricing?
How to Score Your Setup
10/10: You have a real personal AI system. You're in the top 1% of AI users.
7–9/10: You're on the right track. You have good foundations, but there are clear upgrade paths.
4–6/10: You're in power-user territory, but hitting limits. You know what's possible; you just haven't built it yet.
1–3/10: You're using AI tools, not an AI system. You're getting some value, but leaving 80% of the potential on the table.
0/10: Either you just started (great!), or you're using AI in the most manual, lowest-leverage way possible (time to upgrade).
What to Do Next
If you scored 7 or above: You're doing well. Focus on optimizing what you have. Fix the remaining gaps one at a time.
If you scored 4–6: You're ready for the next level. You need architecture (persistent memory, workflow automation, and integration), not just better prompts.
If you scored 0–3: You have two paths:
- DIY route: Start with the easiest fixes (custom instructions, uploaded knowledge base, calendar integration). Build up over time.
- Hire someone: If your time is worth more than the 40–60 hours it'll take to build this yourself, work with people who've done it before.
Reality check: Most people think they want to build it themselves. Most people hit a wall at API integrations, security architecture, or ongoing maintenance. If you're technical and have the time, go for it. If you're not, or if 60 hours sounds like hell, hire experts.
The Bottom Line
AI isn't just about having access to ChatGPT. It's about building a system that:
- Remembers you
- Connects to your work
- Runs without constant prompting
- Protects your privacy
- Evolves as your needs change
This checklist shows you where the gaps are. The fixes are all doable: some in an afternoon, some in a week, some requiring real engineering.
The question isn't whether you can build a proper AI system. It's whether it's worth your time to do it yourself, or whether you'd rather have someone hand you the finished product and get back to your actual work.
Ready to Put This Into Action?
Book a free 15-minute AI audit. We'll review your setup against this checklist, identify your biggest gaps, and give you a personalized action plan, no strings attached.
Book Your Free AI Audit- The Catalyst Team