Free Guide · Belonging & Bots

How to name your
first director.

One decision. Three steps. And suddenly your AI stops feeling like a tool you have to figure out — and starts feeling like a colleague you can actually rely on.

The short version

When you give your AI a name and a specific job, something shifts. You stop asking “what can I use AI for?” and start thinking “this is exactly what [name] handles.” The relationship changes from a blank slate to a colleague with a role. That's not metaphor. It changes what you ask for, how you evaluate the output, and whether you actually use it.

Ask yourself the one question

Don't start with “what can AI do?” Start with this:

“What work would I delegate first if I had a brilliant, instantly available colleague?”

Whatever came to mind — that's your first director's job. It's almost always something you're perfectly capable of doing but that takes more time and energy than it should: drafting communications, pulling research, tracking what's open, preparing for a conversation.

Pick a name

Any name. It doesn't have to be a person's name — though most people go there. It just has to be something you'd actually say out loud: “Let me check with Monica” or “I'll run this by Ross.”

Names people use

Monica (Chief of Staff)Chandler (Writing)Ross (Research)Gunther (Projects)Joey (Relationships)Phoebe (Learning)Rachel (Career)

Write their job in one sentence

Use this fill-in:

[Name] handles [the work from Step 1] so I can focus on [what actually needs you].

Example

“Chandler handles drafting anything that needs words — emails, summaries, messages — so I can focus on the actual decision rather than how to say it.”

Your first session — copy this

Paste this at the start of your next AI session. Fill in your specifics before you send it.

Hi [name]. I'm [your name] — and you're my [director type, e.g., Writing Director]. Your job: [copy your one-sentence job from Step 3 below]. A few things to know about how I work: - [One working style preference] - [One format preference] - [One thing I never want] Here's my first task for you: [describe what you need].

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot.

That's it. The output from this first session will tell you what to add. Most people add 1–2 things to the Never section after session one. That's how a skill file grows.

What's next

Build the full skill file

The interactive worksheet takes what you just read and builds it with you: three questions about your real week, one director chosen to fit, and a complete opening prompt written around your actual work. Five minutes, free.

Create your first AI director →

Why is this free? Because the idea is the easy part — and we'd rather you test it today than take our word for it. If the naming shift works for you (it will), you'll know exactly when you're ready for the deeper build.

Not sure where you are on the journey? The 2-minute quiz will tell you — honestly.