These two tools will change how fast you think, act, and get things done

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The thing about AI right now is that most people are using it the same way they used Google in 2005. They type a question. They get an answer. They move on.

That is fine. But it is leaving most of the value on the table.

This week, I am running a series called Get AI Native in 2026. Not a course and definitely not theory. Every issue, I will walk you through one or two things you can actually set up this week that will change how you work. Step by step.

This issue is about two tools that genuinely changed how fast I work. One is about how you input. The other is about what runs in the background so you do not have to.

Let us get into it.

Typeless — Cut time writing, refining, searching and copy-pasting

What it does: Lets you control AI with your voice, including editing selected text, fixing prompts, translating, rewriting, searching, answering — all without touching the keyboard.

I tested it by: running a full email thread through it. Instead of typing instructions into Claude, I selected the email I received, held the shortcut (Alt or Fn), and said:

Draft a response to this email based on the thread selected addressing issues raised, keep it direct and cut the last paragraph.

Done in about four seconds.

The verdict: If you are spending more than 30 minutes a day in Claude or ChatGPT, this is the highest ROI thing you can install right now. The real unlock is not transcription. It is being able to edit with your voice. You can select any text on your screen and speak the change you want. It removes the friction of figuring out how to phrase your prompt. You just say what you mean.

If you use it this week: install it, do the 10-minute setup, and then spend one day forcing yourself to use voice instead of typing every single time you open an AI tool. It feels awkward for about an hour. Then it does not.

Claude Skills — Teach Claude your way of working

What it does: lets you save a set of instructions that Claude will follow automatically every time you ask it to do a specific task. Think of it as teaching Claude how you do things.

I tested it by: streamlining my workflow by telling Claude to be a skill specifically for my company’s brand guidelines.

Previously, I would spend at least 20 minutes every session providing repetitive context—explaining our color palette, design style, and the specific tone we use for documentation. It was a tedious process of manual alignment every time I started a new project.

Now, with skills, I simply provide my raw input—whether that is an email thread, a rough file, or a quick list of ideas—and say:

Process these thoughts into a document.

Because the skill is trained on our brand identity, Claude immediately knows exactly what to include, what to omit, and how to format the output to be perfectly on-brand.

The verdict: this is the closest thing to having an assistant who actually remembers how you work. The setup takes about 45 minutes the first time. After that, every repetitive task you hand off to Claude gets faster every week because the skill gets better as you continue using it.

The people who will get the most out of this are anyone doing the same type of output repeatedly: reports, client briefs, content drafts, meeting summaries.

If you use it this week: pick the one thing you ask Claude to help with most often. Write down exactly how you want it done. That is your first skill. Ask Claude to help you create that skill and you will see it come to life.

This week

Install Typeless (the free tier is enough) and build one Claude Skill for a task you repeat at least twice a week. That is it. Do not try to automate everything at once. One skill, done properly, will show you exactly what is possible.

What I am watching

Notion Agents — custom agents that can automate recurring work for your entire team.
Claude Cowork — Anthropic’s desktop agent that can actually operate your computer on your behalf. I will dedicate a full issue to this soon.
Perplexity Computer — similar concept, different approach. The knowledge retrieval angle makes it interesting for research-heavy work. I am testing it now.
ChatGPT Connectors — native integrations with your existing tools are getting better, especially if you are deep in the Microsoft ecosystem.

The Plug’s Note

The pattern I keep seeing with people who are genuinely fast and adaptive with AI versus people who just use it sometimes is this: they set up systems. Not complicated systems. Just small things that mean they do not have to make the same decision twice.

Skills are that for Claude. Voice input is that for prompting. Neither of them requires you to learn anything technical. They just require you to spend 10 minutes one afternoon setting them up instead of starting from scratch every time.

That is what this series is about.

See you next week.

Get AI Native in 2026 — Issue 1 of 12 is a weekly series running through Q1. Each issue covers one phase of going from basic AI user to someone whose workflows actually run on it. No coding required.