Weekly Wisdom #316 - The big AI benefit that no one talks about

Getting Started, Creating New Habits, Competition Is A Myth

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Happy Monday!

One of the biggest benefits I've seen with AI is how it helps us get past that crucial first step.

Think about these common starting points:

Creating a workout plan

Putting together a meal plan

Developing a step-by-step approach to a work problem

Writing the first draft of an important document

Generating a list of fresh ideas

These are all "first steps" toward something bigger: getting healthier, solving work challenges, completing important projects.

I've recently used AI to tackle several projects that might otherwise have languished in my "someday" list:

Generating a comprehensive list of potential brand partnerships for this newsletter

Creating solar and battery power estimations for my property development

Getting detailed feedback on website messaging and design

Before AI, these starting points often required significant mental effort. For each of these projects, I might have done a quick Google search and then added them to my backlog, where they'd likely sit untouched for months—or forever.

Now, with just a few sentences and a brief conversation with AI, I can get about 80% of the initial framework completed in minutes. This transforms tasks from "someday projects" into "already in progress."

This ability is powerful because it bridges the gap between doing nothing and making real progress. Many people get stuck right at this beginning stage, unable to overcome the initial friction of starting.

In the mini-essay at the end of this newsletter, these are the people that fall into the "too afraid to try" (aka "never got started") category. They have ideas and goals but struggle with activation energy—the mental and emotional effort required to begin.

AI has transformed my workflow in many ways, and its capabilities extend far beyond just helping with first steps.

But that initial momentum is critical for progress. By lowering the barrier to getting started, AI doesn't just make us more efficient—it actually changes what we're willing to attempt. Projects that once seemed too daunting to begin now become accessible starting points for meaningful achievement.

Have a great week!

Graham

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Links

📚 Book Notes: Atomic Habits - James Clear - This remains the best book I've ever read about how to break and build habits.

As AI changes how we work, it's becoming easier than ever to change habits; knowledge is more available than ever, and as I mentioned in the intro, one of the main benefits of AI is how easy it is to push past the first step, often the most difficult when trying to start something new.

Tweet of the Week

This mini-essay about competition resonated with me, as the more I've seen in the product and startup world (and just about anything, actually), the more I believe it.

The reality is that most people won't start to do the thing they want, and so there's very little competition.

The related paradox that Tim Ferriss has talked about is that the more ambitious the thing is, the fewer people will ever attempt it, and so often those areas are easier as a result.

Shaan Puri-->

@ShaanVP

new one minute blog: the big lie about competition

2:47 PM • Apr 18, 2025

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