How I'm 2-3x more productive than I was 12 months ago (without using OpenClaw)

I was in Singapore recently and caught up with a mate who coaches some of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs.

He's written books on it. Spent years figuring out what separates people who consistently perform from those who just work hard and stay stuck.

He told me my edge is 'the innovator.'

Someone who has a feel for how things work across all types of businesses and niches... and can piece together old methods with new technology.

I didn't disagree. But I also hadn't thought about it that way before.

It's exactly what I've been doing with AI.

A few weeks ago I mentioned one of our internal systems saved 52 hours in a single week. My mate asked how I actually build these things.

To me it just comes naturally.

But after taking some time to think about it, here's the best way I can distill it:

Step 1 — What have we done before that actually worked?

Not what looked good.
What got results.

I go back through past wins and ask myself what my thinking was.
What made me choose a certain angle, tool, or approach.

That process is the IP... and most people skip it.

Step 2 — How can I automate that exact thinking?

Not the output.
The thinking.

I ask AI.
I dig through YouTube.
Occasionally forums.

I'm looking for how to encode the logic, not just the task.

Step 3 — Go deep on every part of the build.

This is where most people stop too early. I don't. I ask:

• How do we structure the database so the data is clean?
• How do we reduce hallucinations at every step?
• I think about the 80/20 rule. Normally we'd focus purely on the 20% that produces 80% of the result. But now, with the possibilities with AI, I ask: What would doing the extra 80% look like? How can we add it?

That last one matters a lot.

I look outside my own industry.
Ecommerce brands are often doing incredible things at scale that the business and AI content space hasn't caught up to yet.

I deliberately avoid copying what the AI & business bros are doing... it all looks the same.

Step 4 — Get to work. Make mistakes. Rebuild.

I build the first version.
It's messy.
I throw it out.
Build again.
Sometimes 10 times over.

Most people aren't willing to do this. That's the actual edge.

Step 5 — Hand it off.

Once I find what works, I pass it to a team member who cleans it up, optimizes it, and turns it into a proper production system.

I love the first 90% of a new build.
The last 10% takes just as long and needs way more patience.

That's not me. So I don't do it.

Step 6 — Stack.

Now it's in production. My time is freed up.
I move to the next highest priority and do it again.

Automation after automation after automation.

Why automations over AI agents?

Agents are getting better. But right now, until they carry the kind of experience and judgment that comes from years in a specific niche, they do average work.

Average is fine for low-level admin. It's not fine for the mission-critical stuff.

Automations are reliable, cheaper, and accurate.
For now, that's the better bet on anything that actually matters.

That'll change. But we're not there yet.

That's the system.
It's not glamorous.
It's a lot of rebuilding things and doing work most people skip.

But once it's running... it compounds.

Hope this helps!
Mitch

P.S. If you missed any of the AI Content Mastery talks, you can find them in our free BigMoves Hub, plus you can download the infographics for free:

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Example Infographic (you can also find the prompt for creating an infographic like this in the Hub):

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