I found the 7 best AI Productivity Tools (2024)
A curated walkthrough of 7 AI tools tested for day-to-day productivity gains. Tools span calendar optimization, email management, knowledge capture, AI assistants, video editing, timeline generation, and conversational AI. ---
Key Concepts
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Inbox Zero | Email methodology where every message is triaged — act now, defer, or archive — so the inbox stays empty |
| Second Mind | The practice of offloading information capture to an external system so your brain doesn't have to store it |
| Prompt Templates | Pre-written, reusable AI prompts that speed up common tasks and lower the barrier for non-technical users |
| XML Export (video editing) | A file format that carries cut/edit data into major editing software without re-encoding or quality loss |
Notes
Tool 1: Reclaim AI — Calendar Optimization
- Automatically schedules tasks and habits into your calendar using AI
- Connects personal + work Google Calendars and merges them into one synced master calendar
- Coworkers see a filtered work-only view — private appointments stay hidden
- Detects scheduling conflicts and auto-reschedules tasks if permitted
- Supports **recurring habits** with configurable priority and aggressiveness settings
- Integrates to-do list tasks into time blocks
- Built-in meeting scheduling links (no need for separate tools like Calendly)
- Buffer times between meetings can be defined to prevent over-scheduling
- Additional features: calendar planning, time tracking
- Currently **Google Calendar only**
Tool 2: Superhuman — AI Email
- Built around the **Inbox Zero** concept — every email is triaged on arrival
- Reminders let you snooze emails or follow up if no reply received
- **AI summary** (shortcut `M`): get the gist of any email in ~5 seconds
- **Instant reply**: AI suggests multiple reply options or drafts full responses
- `Cmd + J`: describe your intent in a few words, AI writes the full email
- **Snippets** (`Cmd + ;`): save common emails as templates with placeholders (name, reason, etc.)
- **Superhuman Command** (`Cmd + K`): natural language search bar — can unsubscribe, label, and more
- Nearly every feature has a keyboard shortcut for speed
Tool 3: Mymind — Knowledge Capture & Second Mind
- Right-click anything in the browser to save it — no manual organization required
- AI automatically tags, categorizes, and structures saved content
- Supports: articles, videos, images, products, quotes, tweets
- Visual design preserves content format (quotes look like quotes, products show images, etc.)
- **Search** understands context, detects text in images, and reads handwriting
- **Smart Spaces**: saved filter combinations for curated collections (e.g., books read, design references)
Tool 4: Bardeen — Desktop AI Assistant
- Runs as a **desktop app** — accessible via shortcut without opening a browser
- Backslash (`\`) opens a library of pre-defined prompt suggestions
- Categories: writing, reading, marketing, and more
- **Prompt Marketplace**: install use-case-specific prompts (e.g., Business Model Canvas, contextual learning)
- Save your own custom prompt templates
- **Multi-model**: switch between GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, Mistral, and others per task
- Also supports: image generation, video/audio transcription, document interaction, web search
Tool 5: Descript/Gling — AI Video Editing
- Mac desktop app; drag-and-drop video file to start
- Options: cut silences only, or also remove bad takes
- Fast processing — no lengthy cloud uploads
- Outputs a **text transcription** for manual review and fine-tuning of cuts
- Select any text segment and click "cut" to remove it
- Exports as **XML** compatible with DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and Premiere
- Imported XML creates an exact timeline in your editor — zero quality loss
Tool 6: Mynd AI — Timeline & Mind Map Generator
- Two features: mind maps and **AI-generated timelines**
- Enter any topic and receive a graphical timeline of key historical events
- Output can be dropped directly into presentations or used for quick research
- Saves time vs. manually researching Wikipedia and extracting highlights
- Particularly useful for students and researchers
Tool 7: Pi — Humanlike Personal AI
- Built by **Inflection AI** — trains its own large language model (Inflection 2.5)
- Positioned among top models alongside GPT-4 and Gemini
- Differentiated by **humanlike tone** and realistic-sounding voices
- Available on: browser, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram
- Designed to feel like talking to a friend, not a search engine
- Potential use case: social companion for isolated or elderly individuals
Actionable Takeaways
- Connect personal and work calendars to **Reclaim AI** to auto-protect recurring habits and eliminate manual syncing
- Apply the **Inbox Zero** triage habit in Superhuman: reply now, set reminder, or archive — no leaving emails in limbo
- Install the **Mymind** browser extension and replace ad-hoc bookmarking with right-click saving
- In **Bardeen**, build a library of personal prompt templates for tasks you repeat weekly
- Use **Gling** to pre-cut all recorded video before importing into your editor — export XML to preserve quality
- For quick topic overviews or presentation prep, generate a **Mynd AI** timeline before diving into manual research
- Test **Pi** on WhatsApp to evaluate conversational AI quality in a familiar, low-friction environment
Quotes Worth Keeping
New emails are always approached with the question: do I need to do this today, in the future, or am I done with it?
It really feels like you're talking to a friend — I could totally imagine Pi could act like a real person for people that are lonely.