What have you been telling yourself recently that you have found some relief in?
It's Wednesday, September 16th. I've been thinking about what I still want to do for myself.
As AI gets more capable, I worry about how much of our thinking we're willing to give away. I see some of this in the students I tutor. It feels like we're offloading the things that help us grow: learning, creativity, the work of figuring something out.
I keep wondering what we're saving that time for. If a tool does the creative work and I spend the time it gives me doomscrolling, what have I gained?
Something that brings me relief is remembering that I can choose how I use these tools. I don't have to do something just because everyone else is doing it. I'm trying to bring a little more intentionality into my life. I wouldn't quite call it friction. There are things I want to stay involved in, even when I could make them easier.
I write my own case studies and to-do lists. I keep a journal by hand. When I read, I look at the back of the book and start, without asking AI for a summary first. I want to notice the themes and think about the characters as I meet them, to have that conversation with myself.
With design, I try to find a direction and visual identity I like before reaching for the Figma or Paper MCP. I do use them. They help me build out an idea once I have something I want to build.
Doing things by hand is, I think, the best way to learn and keep your mind moving.
I know this might sound like making things more difficult for myself. Why wouldn't I want to do a thousand things in one day? Sometimes I do. Coding can go much faster with AI, and I'm speaking into Superwhisper right now. But I still want to understand what I'm making and feel that the thoughts in it are mine.
There's relief in feeling that I'm doing what I can to keep my mind moving. I still find the possibility of becoming dependent on AI a little scary. I wish I could help my students see why their own thinking matters, even when a model seems to know so much more than they do.
AI helps me find information and work through code. I still need to question its suggestions and decide what belongs in the work. My experiences shape those decisions, especially in design and writing. I think art is at its most powerful when it's been made with love.
What fun is it to live if we don't actively partake in our lives?
Before I search something on Google or ask AI, I try to pause: can I explain this to another person? Sometimes I already know enough to begin. Sometimes I don't. I want to give myself a chance to think before asking something else what I should do.