The Three-Part Rule: How to Split Every Task Between You and AI

Introduction: Why You Need a System

If you’re using AI (or thinking about using it), you’re already ahead of the curve. But are you using it wisely? Or are you drowning in inefficiency, either clinging to tasks AI could handle or, worse, blindly trusting AI without proper oversight?

Here’s the golden rule: split every task into three categories—and do it ruthlessly. Whether the task is huge (like strategic planning) or tiny (like drafting a quick email), break it down into:

1. What you keep for yourself—only a human should do this.
2. What you delegate to AI—but carefully oversee.
3. What you hand over entirely—fully automated.

This isn’t just for you as an individual. Your whole team needs to do the same for their work.

Step 1: What Should You Retain for Yourself?

Some things simply should not (or cannot) be done by AI—at least, not yet. These include:

• Ethical decisions – AI lacks true moral judgement. If a decision could seriously impact someone’s life, reputation, or well-being, it belongs to a human.
• Creative direction & personal style – If you have a distinctive way of doing things, you might want to keep control. That said, AI is getting remarkably good at mimicking styles—upload a few of your documents and challenge it to copy your tone. You may be surprised.
• Sensitive or strategic work – If it involves confidential information, legal responsibility, or strategic risk, you need to be in the driver’s seat.
• Relationship-based tasks – AI can fake empathy pretty well, but when it comes to deep human connection, trust, and persuasion, it’s still you who should pick up the phone.

Think of it like being a chef. The core creativity, the secret recipe, the final quality check—that’s you. AI can chop the veg, suggest a menu, or even handle some cooking, but the magic? That’s yours.

Step 2: What Should You Delegate (but Oversee)?

This is the sweet spot. The real power of AI is in delegation—getting AI to handle things faster, better, and more creatively, while you remain the overseer.

Tasks that belong here include:

• Tedious, time-consuming work – Drafting contracts, transcribing meetings, summarising reports. AI can cut hours into minutes.
• Tasks you don’t enjoy – If writing long reports makes your eyes glaze over, let AI draft them. You just need to tweak.
• Lower-value but necessary tasks – Think customer service responses, initial client reports, social media captions. AI can do these well—but check them!
• Highly creative but structured work – AI can generate amazing marketing campaigns, ideas, and even business strategies. But you must refine and approve them.

A note of caution: delegated AI tasks are not risk-free. A misplaced decimal in an AI-generated financial report could cost you thousands. A misinterpreted contract clause could land you in trouble. The human must stay in the loop.

Oversight is key. Think of AI as a brilliant but error-prone intern—it works at superhuman speed, but you need to review its work before signing off.

Step 3: What Can You Fully Automate?

Some tasks don’t even need your oversight. AI can just run with them. These tend to be:

• Repetitive and rule-based – AI can schedule meetings, sort emails, update databases, and auto-generate invoices.
• Monitoring and alerts – AI can scan documents for compliance, flag potential risks, or alert you to changes in competitor pricing.
• Data-heavy processes – AI is brilliant at processing vast amounts of data quickly and accurately. It can handle customer segmentation, inventory tracking, and even predictive analytics.

These are the tasks where you should set it and forget it. No one needs to check every AI-generated calendar invite. If AI is working with clear rules and predictable patterns, let it do its thing.

Why This Approach Works

Splitting your tasks this way makes you:

✅ More efficient – You’re not wasting time on things AI can handle.
✅ More creative – AI is far more imaginative than most people give it credit for. Use it!
✅ More in control – You avoid blindly trusting AI but also stop wasting your own talent on low-value work.

And remember, AI is improving every day. The tasks in category 2 today might move into category 3 tomorrow.

Your Challenge: Try It Now

1. Take a task you do daily and break it into three parts: human-only, AI-assisted, and fully automated.
2. Upload a few of your documents and ask AI to copy your writing style. See if it surprises you.
3. Look at your team’s workflows—what tasks are they holding onto unnecessarily?

AI is here to make your life easier. But only if you use it the right way. Don’t be the bottleneck. Don’t be the fool who blindly trusts AI, either. Be the smart one who knows how to delegate wisely.

Want help figuring out what to delegate in your insolvency practice? Give Paul at VAI Solutions a call. He’ll help you make AI work for you.