Over the past two years, I've used AI across multiple projects, one being an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of myself. It’s been a concerted attempt to think more clearly about what I want, what's getting in the way, and what to do about it.
This week I migrated my life over from ChatGPT to Claude, carrying across all of that context. Sharing all that might surprise or concern you; why share so much deeply personal information? The reason is that I use it for bigger picture thinking, and that’s what I want you to consider too.
Most of what you hear about AI centres on efficiency. Faster reports, instant analysis, workflows compressed from hours into seconds, all from simple prompts. Scroll social media and the claims become more extreme: 20x output, fully automated systems.
The wrong starting point
The default question I think most people ask themselves is: how can I use AI to be more productive? It’s logical. Save time, then spend it on what matters most to you.
But, I’d argue it’s the wrong starting point, and if we stop at productivity, we are leaving a significant amount of value on the table.
The question I’d instead ask is: what do I really want to get out of my life? Then use AI in service of that. If you begin with what truly matters and use AI to think more clearly about it, and then practically support you with that, the upside is far greater than efficiency alone.
AI then goes from being a shortcut to becoming a thinking partner. One that can help you surface blind spots, challenge assumptions, and structure a path forward.
The goal shouldn’t be to master the tool. It’s to apply it to something meaningful. Start with your aims, then use AI to become the tool to help you achieve them. The technology is so powerful that it will be able to suggest to you how it can best help you.
Practically, how would I do this?
Take the three pillars that shape life: health, wealth, and relationships.
For each one, articulate what you really want, as honestly as possible, in as much detail as possible, and without any constraints. This means going beyond "I want to be healthier" or "I want to earn more." It means saying what you actually think about when you're lying awake at 2am. The specific fear, the specific ambition, the thing you haven't said out loud yet.
Then share that with your AI tool. Ask it to help you explore what might be getting in the way, and how you could move closer to it.
I’d highly recommend using the dictation feature and speaking rather than typing if you can. A rough, unfiltered brain dump is often more revealing than anything you write down, because you will already be self-editing as you type.
Then sit down for a proper ideation and planning session. A few hours spent doing this well can have immense upside, far more than the same few hours of saved time ever could.
To help you get started, here is a prompt you could use:
"I want to use you as a thinking partner to help me gain clarity on my life. I'm going to share my honest, unfiltered thoughts on where I am right now across three areas: health, wealth, and relationships.
For each one, I'll tell you what I really want, what I think is getting in the way, and what I've tried so far.
As I do, I want you to:
– Identify patterns or blind spots in my thinking that I might not see myself
– Challenge any assumptions that may be limiting me, especially ones I treat as fixed truths
– Ask me deeper follow-up questions to get beneath the surface
– Help me distinguish between real constraints and ones I've invented
– Once we've explored each area, help me turn this into a clear, prioritised plan with concrete next steps
Don't just agree with me. Don't be polite at the expense of being useful. Push me where needed. Prioritise clarity over comfort.
I'll start with [health / wealth / relationships]."— AJ
On my bedside table
📖 Non-fiction · The Happiness Trap — Russ Harris
📚 Fiction · There are rivers in the sky — Elif Shafak
💬 Quote · "When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this - you haven't" — Thomas Edison
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