Day 9 · 15 minutes
Manus
Delegate a multi-step task instead of asking a question.
~15 min read + 10 min hands-on1 Why this tool matters
Manus represents the next tier: an agent, not a chatbot. You give it a goal, it plans the steps, opens tabs, reads pages, writes notes, and comes back with a deliverable. It is slow, sometimes wrong, and genuinely astonishing when it works. Today is about understanding the shape of this new kind of tool.
2 Walkthrough
- Go to manus.im and request access if needed (the waitlist moves fast).
- Give it a task: Research three electric SUVs in the $50-70k range that are available in California today. Build me a comparison table covering range, charging speed, cargo space, and tax credit eligibility. Cite every number.
- Watch the live trace: it searches, opens pages, compares data.
- When it finishes, review the table. Ask follow-up questions to refine.
- Notice the times it made mistakes. That is the cost of this tier of tool right now.
3 Your turn
Today’s exercise
Delegate one multi-hour research task you have been dreading — comparing health plans, researching vendors, drafting a competitive analysis. Let Manus take a first pass. You review and refine. Note how long you saved.
4 Pro tip
Worth keeping
Agents work best when the success criterion is obvious (a table, a list, a ranked shortlist). Vague goals like “help me think” are a job for ChatGPT, not Manus.
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