🤔 Brainteaser of the day: What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Click here for the answer.
✅ Today’s checklist:
- Using AI to find contractors
- Europe vacay must haves
- The show we’re currently obsessed with
- Meet our pet of the week — Kai
QUICK LINKS
👩🏻💻 Website: Learn how to spin up your personal website quickly.
💄 Makeup: How to apply foundation flawlessly.
😩 Relationships: Quit arguing over chores with your partner.
⚡ Recharge: 14 ways to recharge your internal batteries this weekend.
🛍️ Shopping: Shopping for clothes when you’re experiencing temporary weight gain.
AI AT HOME
How AI Simplified My Search for a Garage Conversion Contractor
As a property manager for my family’s duplex in Los Angeles, one of my goals for this year is to convert the un-permitted garage studio into a legal Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU).
However, juggling a 9-5 job, running my own business, staying on top of chores and appointments, and trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle — and you know, just function as a modern woman (lol) — I’d been slacking on my property developer duties.
To expedite my search for a top contractor specializing in ADU construction in the Los Angeles area, I turned to ChatGPT for assistance.
Here’s the prompt I used:
- Can you find me construction companies or contractors that specialize in converting garages into ADUs? I’m looking in the 90045 Los Angeles, CA area.
Unfortunately, while the AI provided thorough guidance on finding construction companies, it couldn’t perform live web searches. (See the entire chat here.)
This prompted me to utilize Google’s Gemini to generate an actual directory of results.
Here’s what Gemini produced:
I then went back to ChatGPT and asked it to create a proposal based on its statement:
- Can you create a project proposal I could share with a contractor based on this statement? We want to upgrade our handyman-created studio into a permitted ADU and also upgrade the garage attached to it.
It generated a comprehensive Project Overview, which acted as a handy scope of work document.
It outlined my project like person well-versed in construction would including details regarding planning, finishes, upgrades, budget, timeline, requirements and more.
Additionally, I requested an Excel table template to compare contractors efficiently:
I used the Project Overview to contact the suggested contractors and the Excel sheet to keep track of all of them. The whole process took me about 20 minutes in total.
Funny enough, I ended up hiring the contractor Gemini recommended as its top result!
💡 Verdict: I highly recommend using AI for this — use this same formula to find plumbers, repair services, gardeners, doctors, etc the next time you need to find a service person.
Thania Guardino (Content & Social Media for TA)
SUNDAY SCARIES REPELLENT
Plan Next Week’s Work
If the Sunday Scaries are hitting you this weekend, consider planning out your work for the upcoming week.
Doing this helps take the stress out of the unknown and can give you a sense of control over your schedule.
We recommend using this to-do list template from monday.com.
It’s perfect for anyone who is struggling to…
- Prioritize tasks
- Fight overwhelm due to the amount of projects flying around
- Keep teammates on the same page
- Manage time throughout the work day
You can customize your space, color code, set deadlines, collaborate with teammates, and more.
Like any tool, we suggest you try it out for yourself to see if it covers all the bases.
SHOPPING SECTION
For your upcoming European Summer Vacay
Get ready to jet-set in style with our curated collection of must-haves for your upcoming European summer vacation!
Pack your bags and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime with these top picks:
STAFF PICKS
Discover the Dark Side of Tokyo
If you’re looking for a gritty, suspenseful crime drama that takes you into the underbelly of Tokyo’s criminal world, HBO’s Tokyo Vice is a must-watch.
Based on the real-life experiences of journalist Jake Adelstein, this series will keep you on the edge of your seat.
For fans of: True Detective, The Wire, and Narcos.
Watch it with: Watch it with your bestie who loves a good thriller or your partner who appreciates a well-crafted crime drama.
Similar shows: Giri/Haji, The Night Of, and The Shield.
SHOP BETTER FOR THE PLANET
🌎 Help Mother Nature Out
Between juggling careers, relationships, and self-care, it can be tough to know where to start with sustainability 😫.
Commons gets it — that’s why they created this 2 minute quiz that helps you discover one simple climate action to reduce your annual footprint by 1%*.
Whether you’re a eco-newbie or a seasoned sustainability queen, this quiz will help you take your green game to the next level.
*Based on the U.S. average of 16,000kg year.
JUST FOR FUN
PET OF THE WEEK
Meet Kai
This is Kai, a patient yet demanding 2-year-old.
He is independent and likes to be left alone unless on his terms he will let you know when he is ready for a “little” attention.
He loves to be outside catching mice, birds, and sunshine.
He tolerates the snow and rain and makes it known that while inside, he isn’t happy about it.
💌 We’re huge pet lovers at The Assist and want to feature a pet each week — fill out this form for your fur baby to be featured!