Tools to Use Now
What Is AI Tech Stacking? Turn Tools Into a Workflow You Can Use
Published
AI tools become more useful when you know how to connect them around a task. In my teaching, I call this tech stacking: choosing a small set of tools, giving each one a clear job, and moving your work through a process you can repeat.
You might use one tool to organize your ideas, another to create a flyer, and an editor to turn that same message into a short video. The value comes from understanding the workflow and checking what each tool produces.
Start with what, where, why, how, and when
Before choosing software, work through these questions:
- What do you want to finish? Choose something concrete, such as a flyer announcing a new service.
- Where do you get stuck? It might be writing the message, organizing the details, or preparing different formats.
- Why does the task matter? Identify who needs the information and what you want them to do next.
- How can a small set of tools help? Give each tool one job and decide what information passes to the next step.
- When do you need the result? Choose a realistic deadline and leave time to check it before sharing.
Your answers define the workflow. Start with the tools you already know or have access to.
Example: Build a flyer you can actually use
This is an illustrative exercise, not a measured client case study.
Gather the facts. Write down the business name, service, approved price, date, contact details, audience, and the action you want someone to take. Mark anything you still need to confirm.
Draft the message. Use ChatGPT or Claude to organize those facts into a headline and short supporting copy. Choose one writing tool for this step; you do not need both. Ask it to flag missing information rather than fill the gaps.
Review the wording. Read the draft yourself. Confirm every offer and detail, simplify the language, and remove promises you cannot support.
Create the flyer. Move your approved copy into Canva or the design tool you already use. Add images you have permission to use. Make the date, offer, contact information, and next step easy to read on a phone.
Check and use it. Test any links or QR codes and proofread the exported file. Share it through the channels you manage when you are ready.
Optional next step: adapt the same approved message and assets into a short video using CapCut. Add this only if video serves your audience; the finished flyer is already a useful result.
The connection between tools may be as simple as copying approved text or exporting a file. Automation is something you can consider after the manual process works reliably.
Try this prompt
“Help me plan a simple workflow for [task]. Ask me what I want to accomplish, where I get stuck, why it matters, how I currently do it, and when I need it finished. Ask one question at a time. Then suggest the smallest practical set of tools, what I should pass between them, and what I must check before using the result. Use tools I already have: [list]. Do not invent missing business details.”
Learn by making something real
In my four-session AI Essentials course through Banning Parks & Recreation in 2025, 18 graduates ranging from age 10 to adults in their 60s used what they learned to create their own presentations and projects.
Diana Benhar shared that she hadn’t realized how easy creating flyers could be. Another learner developed crochet guides. Our youngest learner created a coloring book she planned to sell on Etsy with her parents’ help. Students reported saving time, although I am not assigning a measured number of hours to those reports.
My goal is for people to practice as they learn, leave with something useful, and understand how to repeat the process independently.
Make the workflow repeatable
Save the prompt, approved source information, design template, and review checklist in an organized place. Record which steps still need your judgment. Use public or redacted information while practicing and avoid uploading private client details without appropriate permission and safeguards.
After you repeat the task, compare the time spent and quality of the result with your previous process. Include the time needed to review and correct the output. If a tool adds complexity without helping, remove it from the workflow.
Start with one task this week
Choose a task you have been putting off. Work through the five questions, select the smallest useful set of tools, and finish one version you can review. You can build a more advanced workflow once you understand what works.
Explore my free business toolkit, meet me on the About page, or tell me what you are trying to accomplish.