# Automate 5 hours of Google Workspace work: the Gemini build Source: https://getstartedwithai.net/tutorials/gemini-for-business-solo-pro Site: Get Started With AI Tagline: Build AI automations that actually run your business. Audience: solo professionals, freelancers, consultants and AI implementers in training Contact: hello@getstartedwithai.co.uk This Markdown companion is generated from the prerendered page for AI crawlers. # Automate 5 hours of Google Workspace work: the Gemini build Confirm the Gemini icon is sitting top-right of your Gmail tab and you have just confirmed five hours of weekly work waiting to be reclaimed. If you pay £14 or more a month for Workspace, Gemini is already on your bill. This 60-minute build wires it into the four workflows where it beats ChatGPT for in-app work, ships one Gem (the equivalent of a Custom GPT) and stands up a NotebookLM with 50 client sources. The lever is that you stop paying twice for an assistant your existing Workspace plan already includes. ## What Workspace gives you in April 2026 - Business Starter at £7 a month annual: Gemini in Gmail and Docs, basic chat with Gemini. - Business Standard at £14 a month annual: full Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Drive. NotebookLM access. Workspace Studio for AI agents. - Business Plus at £22 a month annual: everything in Standard plus larger context, expanded NotebookLM, Vault for retention. - Google AI Pro (the rebrand of Gemini Advanced) at £18.99 a month: only worth it if you do not have a paid Workspace plan. ## Step 1: Confirm what you already have (5 minutes) Most solo professionals on Workspace are paying for Gemini and not using it. 1. Open Gmail. A Gemini icon at the top right of the page means you have it. 2. Open Docs. The Help me write button appearing in a new doc means you have it. 3. Open the Gemini app at gemini.google.com while logged in to Workspace. The interface should say "Connected to your Workspace" with the Gemini badge. 4. If you already pay £14 or above per seat for Workspace, cancel any separate Gemini Advanced subscription. You are paying twice. ## Step 2: Calibrate Gemini to your work (15 minutes) 1. Open the Gemini app. Click your avatar, then Settings, then Personal info. 2. Fill in your role, sector, typical clients and weekly work. 3. Set response preferences: UK English, sentence length, formality level, formatting rules. 4. Save. Open a fresh chat and confirm the assistant returns answers in the right shape. ## Step 3: Build a Gem for one weekly task (15 minutes) Gems are the Gemini equivalent of Custom GPTs. Pre-configured assistants with their own instructions and uploaded files, accessible from a dropdown in any Gemini conversation. 1. Open Gem manager in the Gemini app. 2. Create a new Gem named after the task: Email triage, Proposal scaffold, Weekly review. 3. Write the instructions block with the Role, Inputs, Process, Output structure. 4. Upload working examples: three completed jobs (input plus output) so Gemini learns your shape. 5. Save. The Gem now appears in the dropdown of any Gemini chat. ## Step 4: Run four in-app workflows (15 minutes) - Gmail triage in place: open a long email, click Help me reply, get a draft in your voice without leaving Gmail. - Sheets formulas: select a column, ask Gemini to write the formula for the calculation you actually want. Drops the formula straight into the cell. - Slides from a Doc: paste a brief into a Doc, click Convert to slides, get a working deck draft you can polish in 20 minutes. - Meet recap: turn on Take notes for me before a call. After the call, the recap and action items land in Gmail. ## Step 5: Stand up NotebookLM for client research (15 minutes) NotebookLM is the strongest unique feature on the Gemini side. Upload up to 50 sources (PDFs, docs, websites, YouTube videos), then ask questions across all of them with citations back to the source. 1. Open notebooklm.google.com while logged in. 2. Create a new notebook for one specific client or topic. 3. Add sources: client documents, sector reports, the last six client emails, two relevant YouTube videos. 4. Ask "Summarise the three pain points the client raised across these sources, with citations." 5. Use the audio summary feature to generate a 10-minute briefing podcast for a long commute or pre-call prep. ## What you ship Gemini fully configured to your work, one Gem live in the dropdown, four in-app workflows producing real output, and one NotebookLM with 50 sources ready to brief you on a client area in 10 minutes. Estimated saving on a typical Workspace-heavy practice is 5 hours a week. ## What to build next Pair this with the Claude vs ChatGPT vs Gemini comparison so you can decide which assistant runs which weekly workflow. Then run the WIRE Method to find the biggest weekly time-loss spot Gemini cannot handle on its own. ## Related builds More tutorials in Core Assistants. Each one runs in 60 to 90 minutes and ships a finished asset. ### Replace 3 hours of admin a week: the 60-minute ChatGPT build 30 to 60 minutes. Solo Pro. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/chatgpt-setup-solo-professionals) ### Stop losing client context: organise every engagement in ChatGPT Projects 60 to 90 minutes. Solo Pro. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/chatgpt-projects-client-work) ### Turn one repeatable task into an assistant: build your first Custom GPT in 30 minutes 60 to 90 minutes. Solo Pro. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/build-first-custom-gpt) ### Cut research and drafting time in half: the Claude Project build 30 to 60 minutes. Solo Pro. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/claude-setup-solo-pro) ## Questions people ask before they start ### Do I need to pay extra for Gemini if I have Workspace? Almost certainly not. Since January 2025, Gemini is bundled into all paid Workspace plans. Cancel any separate Gemini Advanced subscription unless you have a free or personal Google account. ### Is Gemini good enough to replace ChatGPT or Claude? For Workspace-native work, yes. For long-form writing or voice-critical drafts, Claude is still ahead. Most solo professionals run Gemini plus one of the others. ### What is a Gem? The Gemini equivalent of a Custom GPT. A pre-configured assistant with instructions and uploaded files, accessible from a dropdown in any chat. Free to create on any Workspace plan. ### Is NotebookLM separate? It runs on the same account as Workspace and Gemini. The free tier handles 50 sources per notebook. The expanded version inside Business Plus adds 300 sources and audio summary in multiple languages. ### How do I sell a Gemini setup as a paid engagement? A Workspace-using client is the easiest sell because most are paying for Gemini and not using it. £400 to £700 for a 90-minute audit and configuration: identify four workflows, build one Gem, stand up one NotebookLM, train the team.