AI advice has centered around one thing: writing better prompts. I’ve tried hundreds of prompt libraries that promise perfect results every time. And, some of them are helpful, while many don't make much of a difference.
From my testing, I’ve found the biggest improvement in my results don't always come from the prompt, but from giving AI access to the documents I already use every day.
Once AI could see my notes, research, PDFs and just about everything else in my Google Workspace, it started working more like an assistant that understood the context behind my questions.
If you already use Google Drive, here are seven ways to put that context to work.
1. Turn a folder of research into a polished first draft
Prompt: Using the documents in this folder, create a presentation that explains the key findings. Organize it with clear headings, note where sources disagree and flag any claims that need additional verification.
Instead of copying and pasting information from half a dozen documents, point AI to your research folder and explain what you’re trying to write. The difference is immediate. Rather than relying on whatever information it already knows, AI builds its response around your research.
2. Compare documents in seconds
Prompt: Compare these two documents and create a table showing every meaningful change. Highlight anything that affects pricing, deadlines, responsibilities or key decisions.
Need to know what changed between two versions of a proposal or contract? This happens to me all the time when a Google Doc only does so much (or completely loses the first draft). Upload both files and ask AI to compare them. What normally takes half an hour of excrutiating detail becomes a task that finishes in seconds.
3. Ask questions about years of notes
Prompt: Based on my meeting notes from the past six months, what projects have been mentioned most often?
or: What action items have I committed to that don’t appear to be finished?
Most of us have hundreds of documents sitting in Google Drive that we rarely open. Instead of digging through folders yourself, let AI search the context. It’s a much faster way to rediscover information you’ve already created.
4. Turn PDFs into action items
Prompt: Summarize this document, list every action item, note important deadlines and explain anything I should pay particular attention to.
Long reports are useful, until you actually have to read them. Whether it’s a quarterly report, a school handbook or a user manual, AI can pull out what you need to know. That way, instead of getting a generic summary, you’ll end up with something you can actually use.
5. Find connections you didn’t know existed
This is one of my favorite uses for AI. Give it several related documents such as a brainstorming session, customer feedback, meeting notes and a project plan and ask it to look for patterns.
You might discover recurring issues, overlooked ideas or themes that weren’t obvious when you read each document individually.
6. Bring old work back to life
I use this trick all the time now. My Google Drive is full of documents that seemed great at the time, but I shelved for a later date. AI can help change that. For example, a webinar transcript can become a blog post, meeting notes can become a checklist, a presentation can become a newsletter, or an old report can become a social media campaign. The possibilities are truly endless.
Instead of starting from scratch every time, you’re building on work you’ve already done.
7. Let AI learn your writing style
Prompt: Using these three emails as examples of my writing style, draft a new email to ask my boss for a raise. Match my tone and sentence length, but don’t copy any wording directly.
One underrated benefit of working from your own documents is consistency. Instead of asking AI to “write like me,” give it examples of your previous work. While I would never encourage anyone to use AI to do the writing for you, this is a good way to speed up difficult-to-write emails with a little AI assistance.
I've done this countless times with difficult neighbors, refund requests and questions to ask my doctor. The AI helps me say what I might have otherwise missed.
Bottom line
I've discovered a world of possibilities around my Google Docs that I never knew existed. In fact, many of the documents in my Google Workspace were written pre-AI, so exploring them now with AI has been really fun and eye-opening. Give it a try next time you're looking for the perfect prompt, just take a look at the files already sitting in your Google Drive and unearth workflows you've been missing.
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