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💡 The Big Idea: Sometimes Difficult Things Are Worth Doing

I recently came across a great How I Write podcast episode where David Perell interviewed Ezra Klein about his approach to using AI in the writing process.

In the interview, Ezra said something that has really stuck with me :

In this newsletter, I want to unpack why those shortcuts aren’t always beneficial (especially in the writing process) and consider where AI fits in intentional creative workflows.

The Laziness Bias

A long time ago, life was hard. Really hard.

If you wanted to go somewhere, you had to walk. If you wanted to eat, you had to hunt or forage for food. Not to mention that life-threatening danger could appear anywhere.

Over time, the human race evolved. We banded together to create a sense of safety. We invented tools to make our work easier. And we had more discretionary time to do fun things besides trying to survive.

As a result, we got lazy.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’re naturally wired to seek the path of least resistance. But it is a slippery slope, and if you take it to the extreme (like the humans in WALL-E), this laziness bias can have some pretty severe consequences.

This is what I see happening with the way many people use LLMs. I came across an MIT study last week that found the same thing, showing “ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels” over the course of several months.

But that doesn’t mean we should avoid it. It just means we should be intentional about how we actually use it.

The Value of Doing Hard Things

Even though life has generally gotten easier (we’re not worried about getting eaten by sabre-tooth tigers on our commutes anymore), there are contexts where we humans recognize that things being hard can actually be a benefit.

One of those is the area of physical exercise.

We no longer need to get 20,000 steps in every day in our daily search for food. But that doesn’t mean we don’t see the value in exercise.

In fact, the personal fitness industry is estimated to be worth over $45 billion!

But if we don’t need to run or lift heavy weights, why do we do it?

Because there are other, more important, benefits that come from doing hard things.

Hitting the Cognitive Gym

In Focused episode 196, I got the chance to interview cognitive neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf, and we discussed the cognitive benefits of reading physical books. The TL;DR - reading a physical book impacts your brain differently than reading from a screen.

Yes, it’s less convenient. Yes, it feels like more work. But that can actually be a good thing.

For example, I’ve long said that “reading” audiobooks is not actually reading. The audio keeps advancing without you having to wrestle with the message.

It’s like going to the gym and not putting any weight on the bar. Yes, it’s easier, but that’s missing the point. The resistance is the very thing that causes us to grow.

The ability to look past the immediate outcome and consider the long-term effects is called second-order thinking. It’s important for understanding cause-and-effect and making better strategic decisions.

Second-order thinking is the thing that allows you to push past the temporary discomfort so you can realize the long-term gains. It's what helps you think about the future and do the hard thing.

So, when it comes to how the human race is trying to navigate this AI age, my general advice:

Resist the path of least resistance.

For me, that means that I’m not going to use AI to write.

I do use AI in the ideation process. But there’s value in the struggle.

For me, that’s the equivalent of hitting the cognitive gym.

Where Does AI Actually Fit?

The bottom line: AI is a tool. And just like any other tool, it has no intrinsic value. It’s not good, it’s not bad. The value comes from how we use it.

Here’s how I’m using AI currently in my day-to-day workflows:

• I use AI tools (subscribr.ai, Viewstats, 1of10) to do YouTube research and get content ideas based on what videos are performing well
• I use several prompts in ChatGPT that allow me to use AI as a creative collaborator, helping me refine my ideas before I sit down to write about them
• I use Grammarly to help clean up grammar and spelling before publishing posts or sending newsletters
• I’m starting to use tools like Spiral and Opus to take something original that I’ve made and repurpose it for social platforms
• I use custom GPTs to play with marketing and branding ideas to help refine my messaging for my website and sales pages

The trick is (and has always been) to figure out for yourself what’s still worth struggling with.

😎 Something Cool: Current View Plugin

A while back, I was using the Force Note View Mode plugin to make my Daily Notes open in Reading Mode. This makes it easier to interact with the task boxes I use in my callouts, but the plugin hasn’t been updated in a couple of years, so I’ve been starting to get a little bit nervous about using it. Even the terms for the view modes have changed in the meantime (i.e., the plugin still calls it “Preview Mode”).

Then last week, I came across a plugin that I believe can be a modern replacement called Current View. This plugin lets you set rules for either files or folders that force the view mode to Reading, Source, or Live Preview when opening notes that match those rules. You can even force a view mode in the note itself using a property that you can set in the plugin settings.

If you’re looking for a way to force certain notes to open in a particular view mode, check out Current View.

📚 Book Notes: Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks

One of the things (I believe) that will separate quality writing from “AI Slop” will be the ability to tell a good story. Which makes Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks arguably even more important than when it was originally written.

I really enjoyed this book when I first read it, and find myself recommending it all the time in everyday conversation. And if you’re looking for an exercise program to follow during your cognitive gym routine, I highly recommend Matthew’s “Homework for Life” exercise.

If you want to download my mind map book notes, click here.

— Mike

P.S. I’m thinking of creating an in-depth course specifically for mastering the technical features of Obsidian. Does this sound like something you’d be into? If so, click here to cast your vote (I’ll share more details shortly if there’s enough interest).

P.P.S. Macstock just wrapped up, where Doc & Katie from Ecamm convinced me to try a livestream 😬 So I’m going to go live as an experiment on Wednesday at 12pm CT. If you want to join me, click here to add this event to your calendar.