I took the time to think instead of going for Chatgpt and this is what happened

Today I unlocked a major piece of my happiness puzzle—and you know how I did it?

By taking time to think.

I have increasingly started to notice that the mere fact that I have my phone with me, with ChatGPT at my fingertips, is causing my brain to crave shortcuts.

In other words, when I have my phone with me, my brain wants to grab it quickly, hampering my thinking.

So this weekend, I did an experiment.

I put my phone away for just half an hour—just a few feet away instead of right there next to me.

I grabbed a notebook and pen instead.

Closed my eyes.

And started to think.

Whenever I needed to structure my thinking, I would jot something down on paper (I call this “Thinking on Paper”).

And you know what happened?

It brought back a sense of calm.

I realized that my brain had been stuck in overdrive for a while because I had been exploring every single idea I had with AI.

But it can’t keep up.

And that anxious feeling was the result.

But as soon as I put my phone out of reach, I could think again.

And it was so enjoyable.

And it gave me new insights in under 30 minutes.

I love AI and what it can do, but I am a big advocate of “mindful use of AI.”

And this is why.