Never without my yes
My most important rule: nothing goes out without my yes.
An assistant works for me, not instead of me. It may do the groundwork. The decision is always mine. That gives peace of mind: I know nothing happens that I don't want.
An assistant may do this on its own
- Read and search, for example in my mail or calendar
- Make an overview or a summary
- Remind me and warn me
- Make suggestions and explain things
- Prepare something: a draft email, a shopping basket, a test version of a website
Never without my yes
- Send an email or a message
- Buy, order or pay for something
- Cancel or sign up for something
- Make, move or cancel appointments
- Delete something
- Share something or give someone access
- Put a website live, buy a domain name or change a domain's settings
- Install something or change settings
How does that work in practice?
If an assistant writes an email for me, I first see it as a draft. Only when I say yes does it go out. If I say no, nothing happens.
A website works the same way. The assistant first prepares a test version. I look at it, ask for changes, and only after my yes does the site go online.
Every story on this site says what that assistant may do on its own, and what never without my yes.
What I always keep doing myself
The assistants give me time back. I use that time for people and for my own ideas. That's why I always do these things myself:
- Calling and meeting up with family and friends. An overview only helps me not to forget anyone.
- Choosing together what we eat, and cooking together. A weekly menu is a suggestion, not an order.
- The contact with clients and with the bookkeeper.
- The conversation with my children about the future.
- Going out into nature myself, looking myself and choosing the photo myself.
- Thinking for myself about what I read and hear.
Safety
Safety has its own page: Safety. There you can read what went wrong, and what is already built into the product itself.
Not becoming dependent
I don't want to be tied to one assistant or one company. That's why my data isn't stored with the bot, but with me, in my own cloud storage on Google Drive. That way I can stop at any moment and do it myself again.
How I handle privacy
- No names, addresses or health details of family on this site.
- Sensitive assistants get a general name here, such as "Handover file".
- No email addresses, phone numbers, bank account numbers or passwords.
- No real amounts. At most round numbers or categories.
- No screenshots of real emails, calendars or documents.
- Names of friends or companies only with their permission.
- When in doubt: leave it out, or first ask the person it's about.