Start here
Everything from your time audit to your day-30 review is in this guide, in order. We update it as you go, so this link always has the latest.
Where you're up to
Your Nodoka team
The rules we start with
- Send emailsAsk me first
- Book meetingsAsk me first
- AccountingRead only
- Make paymentsNever
- Learn from my editsAlways
Nothing is sent until you approve it. You can change any rule with us at your install.
Your time audit week
It works like a food diary for your work. You jot things down as you go for one week, then we find the patterns together.
What to do
- Fill in your task log at the end of each day.
Two minutes is plenty. It adds up your hours and ranks your biggest time drains for us.
Open your task log - Answer your handbook questions.
Due Fri 16 Oct, before your interview. They're on the next page of this guide.
- Spend an hour with us at your interview.
We go through your week, rank what eats your time and pick the 3 to 5 jobs to automate first.
- Agree your target, in writing.
Together we set how many hours a week you should get back. Your guarantee is tied to that number.
How to fill in your task log
- Log anything that took 10 minutes or more, or that you did more than once.
- Rough numbers are fine. Round to the nearest 5 minutes.
- Lots of quick emails? One row at the end of the day with the total.
- Give the same task the same name each time, so the sheet can add it up.
- For meetings, log the prep and the follow-up. Skip the meeting itself.
- Include what you do at night and on weekends.
- Don't tidy it up. The messy jobs are the ones we want.
- Leave client names out. "Client email about tax" is enough.
- Your two team members can add their own rows, under their own name.
- Not a normal week? Tell us and we'll pick another.
Your business handbook
A smart intern is only as good as the recipe you give them. Your handbook is that recipe: your services, your clients, how you write and what good work looks like.
What to attach
- Your price list
- 3 to 5 emails you're proud of
- The templates you use most
- A finished piece of your best work
- Any checklists you use
- How-to guides or training videos you've made for your team
Dot points and rough notes are fine. Never put passwords in it. Your handbook lives in your own accounts, and you own it.
Get ready for your install
The more that's ready on the day, the more of your install goes on building. Tick things off as you go, and this page remembers them on this device.
0 of 27 ready
Your laptop
A paid Claude plan
Your logins
Your two team members
Your own time
Paperwork
Examples to bring
A room with a screen
Filming
We connect your tools with you at the install. You sign in to each one yourself, on screen, so never send us a password.
Your install
We set it up at your office, with you and two of your team, and we leave once it's running on your real work.
What happens, in order
- Your handbook.
We set Claude up on your laptop, load the handbook we wrote from your time audit and read it through with you.
- Your rules.
We agree what it does on its own, what it asks you first and what it never does. The rules go on before any tool is connected.
- Your tools.
We connect them one at a time. You sign in, and we test each one by having it look without changing anything.
- A first job on your real work, so you see it working early.
- Your automations.
We build the ones below and test each on your real work.
- Your team.
Your two team members learn how to hand it work and check what comes back.
- You drive.
You run real jobs without us, and we fix whatever trips you up.
- Wrap-up.
You leave with the recordings, a one-page cheat sheet and the dates for your check-ins.
What we're building for you
| Automation | When it runs | Hours now | Hours back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client email replies in your voiceDrafts a reply to each client email that needs one, ready for your OK. | Every weekday, 8:00am | 6 | 4.5 |
| Client questions answered from past adviceFinds what you told the client before and drafts the answer. | With the morning inbox | 3 | 2 |
| Bookkeeping coded from historySuggests a code for each transaction the way you've coded it before, and flags the odd ones. | Every Monday | 4 | 3 |
| Overdue invoice chasersLists overdue invoices and drafts a polite chaser for each. | Every Monday | 1.5 | 1 |
| Total, per week | 14.5 | 10.5 |
Your target is 10.5 hours back a week by day 30. Your guarantee line is half that: 5.3 hours.
Using it day to day
Ask the way you'd brief someone on your team: say what you need and what good looks like.
Things to ask
- "Draft replies to this morning's emails. Don't send anything."
- "What's on tomorrow, and what do I need before each meeting?"
- "Turn my notes from today's call into a proposal, and draft the email to go with it."
- "Check this month's invoices against payments and the bank. Flag anything that doesn't add up."
Your automations
| Automation | When it runs | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| Client email replies in your voice | Every weekday, 8:00am | Your email drafts |
| Client questions answered from past advice | With the morning inbox | Your email drafts |
| Bookkeeping coded from history | Every Monday | A list in your files to check |
| Overdue invoice chasers | Every Monday | Your email drafts |
When it gets something wrong
- Correct it once, the way you'd correct a new team member: say what's wrong and why. Every correction becomes a rule.
- Check everything before it goes out. It drafts, you sign off.
- Same mistake twice, or a connection stops working? Tell us.
Who to contact
Your first 30 days
AI changes every week, so we keep your system current. Your first 30 days of the Care Plan are included.
What's included
- Check-ins on day 7 and day 21
- Updates and fixes as your tools change
- Help when you're stuck, plus office hours
- A monthly rundown of what's worth using
Your part
- Use it for a few minutes every day while it becomes a habit.
- In the week before day 30, log the tasks we chose again, on the Review week tab of your task log.
After the first 30 days the Care Plan is monthly, for as long as it's useful.
Your day-30 review
We measure your hours against the target we agreed, then plan what to build next.
"At your time audit we agree, in writing, how many hours a week you should get back. If you're under half that by day 30, we keep building for free or refund part of your fee. You choose."
All we ask is that you're there for the install and use what we build.At the review
- Your numbers against the target.
- What's working, and what needs fixing.
- What we build next, from the time drains in your task log.
- The Care Plan from here, if it's useful to you.