Lesson 1 · ~8 minWhat your assistant does (and doesn't)
You will be able to- Describe in one sentence what a family assistant is for
- Name three jobs it handles well and three it shouldn't touch
Think of your assistant as a very organized helper who reads the mail, watches the calendar and drafts notes for you. It's good at noticing, summarizing and reminding. It isn't a parent, a doctor or a banker, and it never gets the final say.
Step by step
- Write down the three things that ate the most of your time last week (school emails, practice changes, groceries, bills).
- Circle the ones that are mostly reading, sorting or reminding. Those are good first jobs for an assistant.
- Cross out anything that needs your judgment or a relationship, like a hard talk with a teacher. Those stay with you.
- Keep the circled list. You'll use it in Lesson 3.
ExampleSarah spends 40 minutes a week reading school emails. That's reading and sorting, a strong first job. Deciding whether Gunnar can skip practice for a birthday party is her call, not the assistant's.
Checklist
Key points- Assistants are best at noticing, summarizing, reminding and drafting.
- Judgment, relationships and final decisions stay with you.
- Start from where your time actually goes.
Lesson 2 · ~7 minThe golden rule: it asks before it acts
You will be able to- Explain the approve-before-act rule
- Know which actions always need your yes
Every routine in this course follows one rule: the assistant can read, sort and draft on its own, but anything that spends money, sends a message as you, books, cancels or submits waits for your yes. It's the same idea as a pilot's checklist: the crew prepares, the captain approves.
Step by step
- Open your assistant chat and type: "Before you send, buy, book or cancel anything, show me a draft and wait for my OK."
- Ask it to repeat the rule back to you in its own words.
- Try a safe test: "Draft a text to my spouse saying I'll pick up milk." Check that it shows a draft and doesn't send.
- Reply "send" only if the draft is right. Otherwise, say what to change.
ExampleThe assistant fills an Instacart cart for the week and says "Ready for your review, $142." Nothing is charged until you open the cart and check out yourself.
Checklist
Key points- Read, sort and draft: OK on its own.
- Send, buy, book, cancel, submit: only after your yes.
- Test the rule with something harmless first.
Lesson 3 · ~12 minYour first week, day by day
You will be able to- Follow a simple seven-day plan to get your assistant working
- Build one quiet daily routine and one reusable routine by the end of the week
- Add routines one at a time, judging each after a week
Here's a gentle week-one plan. Each day takes about 10 to 15 minutes. By Sunday you'll have one assistant you trust, one account connected, and a morning brief that only speaks up when something changed. Families who try to automate everything on day one usually give up by day four, so go one routine at a time.
Step by step
- Day 1: Set up one assistant and give it the approve-first rule: it can read, sort and draft, but it asks before sending, buying, booking or cancelling.
- Day 2: Hand it one job you'd normally do yourself, like 'list what each kid needs for Friday.' Ask it to repeat the request back in its own words before it starts, so you know it understood.
- Day 3: Give it a short checklist, for example 'Lunches packed? Permission slip signed? Gym clothes in bag?' and ask it to report each item as pass or fail.
- Day 4: Save what worked. Ask it to turn Day 2 or Day 3 into a named routine you can reuse, like 'Friday prep.'
- Day 5: Start one daily routine, a morning family brief at a set time, and tell it to stay quiet when nothing has changed.
- Day 6: Connect one account, your calendar or your email, through the official sign-in screen (never type passwords in chat).
- Day 7: Ask it what it ran this week and what it caught. Decide on the one routine you'll add next. Pick your biggest time sink from last week (for most families, the school inbox digest or the family calendar) and only add that one.
ExampleOn Day 5, Nils's 6:30 AM brief says nothing on Tuesday and Wednesday because nothing changed. On Thursday it speaks up: 'Gunnar's practice moved to 7:30, and it's picture day.'
Checklist
Key points- Small daily steps beat a big setup weekend.
- Ask it to restate requests so misunderstandings surface early.
- A good daily routine stays quiet when nothing changed.
- One routine at a time. Judge it after a week, not a day.
Getting Started quiz
10 questions, about 8 minutes. Pass mark 80%. Your best score is saved in this browser.
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