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The Field Guide / Free

Read it. Try it. Make it useful.

I want these guides to help you finish a piece of work or make a clearer decision. Each one gives you a practical example, a working sheet to keep, and a way to check the result. Start with the question in front of you.

New to this?

Find your starting point for an idea and an exercise matched to your question.

Start with one job worth trying, then use the Three Moves to get a first draft. Practice with fictional or approved material. Check the data boundary before using organizational information.

Choose where to begin

Find a useful job, choose a tool, and understand how the pieces fit.

  1. 01

    Five jobs worth trying first

    Choose one repeatable task and define what a better result would mean.

    Practice: about 20 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Find your first useful job →
  2. 02

    Which AI to use, and for what

    Compare tools using the same task, source material, and review standard.

    Practice: about 30 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Choose a tool for the job →
  3. 03

    The tools I use

    See the jobs behind the tools, then map your own setup before adding another.

    Practice: about 20 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Understand how the pieces fit →

Get better at the work

Write a better brief, shape a useful draft, and know how to check it.

  1. 01

    The Three Moves

    Ask, show, shape. Follow a complete example, then check the result.

    Practice: about 15 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Get a useful first draft →
  2. 02

    Give it your own material

    Choose the right facts, example, and rules without uploading everything.

    Practice: about 20 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Build a better brief →
  3. 03

    Three jobs that need a different approach

    Handle calculations, claims about people, and work beyond your expertise.

    Practice: about 15 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Know when to change the approach →

Make it work for your team

Set the data boundary, give review an owner, and write rules people can use.

  1. 01

    What never goes in

    Decide what is suitable for an approved tool, what needs review, and what stays out.

    Practice: about 20 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Set the data boundary →
  2. 02

    The Reviewer Card

    Name the reviewer, check the likely mistakes, and rehearse how to stop.

    Practice: about 20 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Make review part of the work →
  3. 03

    Writing an AI policy

    Turn real tasks, approved accounts, and review responsibilities into a working draft.

    Practice: about 45 minutes · Includes a working sheet

    Give your team usable rules →

Keep exploring

Lake Effect AI Notes follows ideas into everyday work. Read past issues or meet others trying things at a community gathering.

Free to read. Easy to leave.

Start a conversation

What would you like to make possible?

Choose a first application, improve something you already use, or work through what your team needs next. We will talk through your goals and a sensible next step.

Start a conversation

Thirty minutes. No charge.