Powerful Copilot Workflows That Save Me Hours as a Department Head

Generative AI isn’t just hype. It’s a tool that can save hours every week if you know where to apply it.

Two weeks ago, I wrote an article about proven ways how generative AI can boost your productivity. That post focused more on the why than the how. Today, I’ll share the how: my personal workflows for using Microsoft Copilot every day to stay productive as a department head.

Photo by Windows on Unsplash

Why Copilot?

As a leader, my day is packed with:

• Reviewing reports and presentations
• Preparing for meetings
• Answering emails
• Making decisions quickly

Copilot integrates seamlessly into the Microsoft ecosystem (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams), which makes it the perfect productivity partner for my role.

My Daily Copilot Workflows

1. Summarizing documents in seconds

I often receive lengthy reports or contracts. Instead of skimming 20+ pages:

• I open MS Copilot (most of the time via the MS Teams app) and write into the chat function: “Summarize document /x.” The letter x is replaced with the filename. By typing “/” MS Copilot searches your OneDrive for files. So most of the time you just have to type only the first few letters and it will list the relevant files.
• Pro Tip: Most of the time, I don’t just ask for a summary. I tell Copilot who to impersonate for better context. For example, if it’s a cyber-security document, I use this prompt:“You are an expert in Cyber Security with 10+ years of hands-on experience as an IT Security Manager. You now consult medium and large EU-based companies and know all relevant regulations (NIS-2, AI Act etc.) by heart. As a Cyber Security expert, please summarize document /x and highlight critical aspects.” For contracts, I switch to a legal persona. This works incredibly well because it tells the AI which aspects to focus on.
• Result: A concise summary with key points, saving me 30-45 minutes per document.

2. Preparing for meetings

If you’re leading a team, you know how meetings can pile up. And honestly, meetings only make sense if you show up prepared. Otherwise, they’re just a waste of time.

The problem? When your calendar is packed, there’s barely any time left to prepare.

That’s where MS Copilot also helps me out.

If I attend a meeting:

• I keep it simple. Before joining, I ask Copilot: “Give me a recap of last week’s meeting and list open action items.”
• Copilot pulls together notes, chats, emails and related files automatically. No more digging through folders or scrolling endless chat history. I can walk in knowing what’s important.

If I prepare a meeting:

• I’ll be honest: I’m not a big fan of Copilot’s PowerPoint integration. The slides look too generic for my taste. But for content prep, it’s a timesaver.
• Here’s what I do: If I have a long document I want to present, I ask Copilot:“Please summarize the following text as bullet points suitable for a presentation: …”
• This gives me a clean, focused starting point. From there, I tweak and design the slides myself. It easily saves me 30 minutes or more every time.

3. Drafting & polishing emails

I don’t let AI write everything for me. But when it comes to long or important emails (or other critical text), I follow a simple workflow:

1. Start with my own draft. I write the text myself to keep the tone and message personal.
2. Ask Copilot to optimize. I use prompts like:
   • ”Optimize the text: …”
   • “Rewrite in simple language, but make it sound engaging: …”
   • “Turn this into a formal email: …”
3. Iterate once or twice. I chat with Copilot to refine the wording until it feels right.
4. Make final manual tweaks. I always add my own adjustments before sending.

Sure, you could skip steps and just give Copilot bullet points, but in my experience, the quality suffers. Writing is still a way to express yourself. Text-based communication needs nuance: the right tone, for the right person, at the right time.

With this workflow, the message stays personal, and I still save time. For me, it’s the perfect balance between quality and speed.

4. Searching my knowledge base

I’ve been obsessed with knowledge management for a couple of years now. After experimenting with GTD, Zettelkasten, and Second Brain & PARA, I eventually built my own productivity-notetaking-knowledge-base-system system. Back in 2023, I called it TORP. It has evolved since then, but I still use most of its components every day.

What’s different now compared to 2023?

Back then, these systems needed a solid structure to help you find your notes again. Tons of methods and tools emerged to make sure you didn’t rely solely on search.

Generative AI changed that.

Today, we have context-aware search. If you maintain a good knowledge base, AI can truly turn it into a second brain.

Where does MS Copilot fit in?

OneNote isn’t fully integrated with Copilot yet (unless you start queries inside the app), which is a pity. But Copilot still shines when it comes to finding documents, emails, and files stored in OneDrive or Outlook.

Here’s why I like using it:

Even if I forget the exact file name, Copilot can locate it by understanding the context. No more endless folder navigation: type in what you remember, and Copilot does the rest.

5. Decision coaching

AI won’t replace decision-making, but it can help you see the bigger picture before you make a call.

In the past, whenever I faced a big decision, I used to brainwrite:

• Dump all my thoughts into a document
• Re-read, edit, and organize them
• Summarize everything into a decision basis and compare options

It worked, but it took time.

And yes good decisions shouldn’t be rushed.

But the process of structuring a decision basis can be optimized. For that, I’ve recently started using MS Copilot as a decision coach. Here’s my workflow:

1. Brain-dump your thoughts into a text document.
2. Define a persona in Copilot that fits the decision context (cyber-security expert, leadership coach, …).
3. Paste your notes into Copilot and ask:“Organize these ideas and suggest pros and cons for each option.”

It works. Why?

• Copilot structures my thoughts in seconds.
• It surfaces insights that were already there, but buried under within the text.
• I still make the decision myself, but with an organized view.

The most important part? The decision stays human. Copilot just helps me get there faster and with better clarity.

Conclusion

These are five practical ways I use MS Copilot at work. After more than a year of using it almost daily, I can say this: it truly saves time and makes me more efficient.

Copilot doesn’t replace processes or fully automate tasks, but it helps me focus on different aspects of my work.

If you haven’t tried generative AI yet, give it a try. You can start small (e.g. summarizing/translating texts). It’s one of the easiest ways to boost your productivity and free up time for the work that really counts.

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Thank you for reading! Are you passionate about productivity or exploring generative AI? I’d love to hear about your workflows and ideas for using AI to boost personal productivity.

Let’s connect and exchange thoughts on LinkedIn!