Thomson Reuters Report: AI Saves Users 5 Hours Weekly
Serge Bulaev
AI can save people about 5 hours a week by helping with simple daily tasks - like sorting emails or making shopping lists. The report says starting small is best; pick one easy task and use a simple AI tool for it. As people get good results, they start using AI for more things and see **big time sa
The Thomson Reuters report finding that AI saves users 5 hours weekly highlights a major opportunity, yet many hesitate to start, fearing complexity. The key to unlocking these time savings is to begin with small, simple automations that build confidence and deliver immediate results. By integrating AI into familiar daily workflows, early adopters are successfully reclaiming valuable time. Many start with low-risk tasks like email management or summarizing notes before expanding to more complex processes.
1. Identify a Repetitive Micro-Task
To begin saving time with AI, select a single, low-stakes task you perform daily. Industry analysis, such as overviews from V7 Labs, shows agents can save hours on tasks like summarizing inboxes. Choose a routine with clear rules and measurable outcomes, like drafting emails or creating to-do lists.
Focus on tasks that have clear rules, require measurable effort, and do not involve sensitive data. Excellent starting points include:
- Drafting email replies from bullet points
- Compiling shopping lists from recipe links
- Generating meeting agendas from calendar invites
- Summarizing articles into key takeaways
- Organizing digital receipts into expense folders
2. Select the Simplest Tool for the Job
Start with accessible no-code platforms. Builders like Lindy.ai provide templates to connect apps like Gmail and Slack instantly. For simple "if this, then that" automation, Zapier or IFTTT are highly reliable. As your needs grow, Make.com can handle more complex, multi-step workflows. Always begin with free plans, upgrading only after you've confirmed and documented consistent time savings.
| Tool | Setup style | Best first use |
|---|---|---|
| Lindy.ai | Drag and drop canvas | Inbox summarizer |
| Zapier | If trigger then action | File receipts |
| IFTTT | Simple mobile applets | Smart home alerts |
| Make.com | Visual flow builder | Multi document summaries |
3. Track Your Progress with a Prompt Journal
To optimize your results, maintain a simple journal for each automated task. Log the prompt you used, the quality of the AI's output, and the total time saved. By refining your prompts based on this feedback, you can quickly improve accuracy. Most users achieve 85-90% accuracy within just a few attempts, which is ideal for routine, low-risk work.
4. Measure Results and Scale Your Efforts
After consistently tracking your progress for a couple of weeks, calculate the total time saved and project the annual impact. Saving just 45 minutes daily on email management translates to nearly 200 reclaimed hours per year. These measurable wins build a strong case for expanding automation into higher-value business processes like lead qualification or initial contract review.
While experts acknowledge that skills gaps can be a barrier to adoption, these small, practical successes are proven to overcome initial hesitation. The rapid growth in personal AI adoption, which the St. Louis Fed notes has outpaced the early PC era by jumping from 36.0% to 48.7% in a single year, signals a fundamental shift. Professionals who develop AI fluency now will be best positioned for the next wave of workplace transformation.
What does the Thomson Reuters 2025 report say about AI time savings?
The study of 2 200 knowledge workers shows that regular AI users already reclaim 5 hours every week - about 240 hours per year - by letting the technology handle first drafts, summarizing documents and suggesting next actions.
Which "low-risk" tasks are best for a first AI experiment?
Experts quoted in the report recommend you start with repetitive, low-stakes items you already do daily:
- tidy up routine emails
- build the weekly shopping list
- draft a meeting agenda
- create a two-sentence summary of a long article
These quick wins build confidence without exposing you to accuracy or compliance worries.
How can I measure whether AI is really saving me time?
Create a simple prompt journal:
1. Note the task, the prompt you used and the minutes you would normally spend.
2. After the AI delivers, log the actual time you needed to review or polish.
3. Compare the totals each Friday; most beginners see a 60-90 minute daily drop in low-value work within two weeks.
What tools do beginners use in 2025 to set this up without code?
No-code platforms dominate early adoption. A typical starter stack is:
- Zapier or Relay.app to connect Gmail, Calendar and Slack
- Lindy.ai for drag-and-drop "meeting brief" agents
- ChatGPT (free tier) for instant summaries
All three offer free plans and require no scripting.
What comes after the first small win?
Once the 5-hour week becomes routine, the same Thomson Reuters sample says 66 % of users expect a 3× productivity jump over the next five years. Move on to larger workflows - for example, an email agent that also books follow-up slots and pulls LinkedIn bios - but keep the prompt journal so each new automation stays measurable and ROI positive in 90 days or less.