When I was 17, my high school organized a two-week trip to Italy and Ireland for $900. My dad offered to pay for it. I said, "Why do I need to go when I can just look at pictures online?" Seventeen-year-old Joe, you were so, so stupid. I’ve since learned that photos aren’t the experience. Just like ideas aren’t the fully fleshed-out thought. On top of a passionate credo about why we need to write for ourselves, I tell you exactly how you can start writing more without letting AI do it for you. Wondering if you rely on AI too much? Take the Conscientious AI Usage quiz — it'll tell you if you're at risk of AI brain rot and what to do to prevent it: https://quiz.lovehate.ai Show Notes Conscientious AI Usage Quiz In Defense of AI Writing - Every

This week I talk about a Steve Thompson video that's had me rethinking my whole approach — the idea that teaching tactics on YouTube actually costs you clients, because when you hand people the solution they assume they can do it themselves. After a rough summer where teaching hasn't yielded new business, I've decided to make September an experimental month: teach less, shift beliefs more, and stop being afraid to sell. Then a story about three climbers rescued off Mount Shasta after relying on AI to plan their climb, and a recommendation for DJ Earworm mashups on YouTube. Plus this week's systems tip: a video outliner I built with Claude Code that gives me the beats but never the words. Links: Don't Teach on YouTube - Do THIS Instead to make your first $100K Three Mount Shasta climbers rescued after relying on AI to plan climb (KRCR) The Mushroom AI Meme and the Question (OpenGovernance) DJ Earworm: Party on the Floor (Summer 2011) My Video Outliner (Screenshot) These episodes are about taking more time off, especially on the weekends. And the best way you can do that is by having a good system in place to stop you from doing everything yourself. If you're not sure where to start, I'm offering free 25-minute coaching calls to listeners. You can book yours over at https://streamlined.fm/clarity. Do you have something on your mind? Let me know at https://streamlinedfeedback.com. You can write in, or leave a voice note. I might even play it on the show. 0:00 Should You Stop Teaching to Get Clients? 5:37 Recommended Reading: When AI Nearly Killed Three Climbers 10:41 Something Fun: DJ Earworm Mashups 13:24 The Video Outliner That Keeps Me Honest Disclosure: these show notes were generated from the transcript and written newsletter, using a very strict format for how it's all put together.

There was a time when building a quiz as a lead magnet seemed insurmountable to me. The setup, the configuration, the routing — not to mention how much those tools cost. It never felt like the juice was worth the squeeze. LLMs have changed that. So today I'm walking through exactly how I built my Conscientious AI Usage quiz, and how you can too. Take the quiz at quiz.lovehate.ai — find out if you're at risk of AI brain rot and get the free Conscientious AI Usage Kit. Show Notes Conscientious AI Usage Quiz Kit Netlify Holly Arnett Three Signs You're Suffering From AI Brain Rot and How to Prevent It

This week I talk about why writing with AI isn't the same as using a calculator for math — financier Stanley Druckenmiller defended his AI-written WSJ critique of Scott Bessent by calling it "using a calculator," and I break down why that misunderstands math, calculators, and words. Then the unraveling of Ashley Flowers' true-crime podcast empire, and what a founder pulling 3 a.m. alarms on weekends and holidays has to teach any solopreneur who thinks no one else can do the work, plus a recommendation for Epic Rap Battles of History's new Tom Cruise vs. Evel Knievel on YouTube. Plus this week's systems tip: why the Stream Deck runs my entire show. Links: 'I'm not embarrassed by it' says billionaire investor who used AI for WSJ critique of Scott Bessent (Yahoo Finance) The Unraveling of Podcaster Ashley Flowers' True Crime Empire (Bloomberg) Epic Rap Battles of History: Tom Cruise vs Evel Knievel The Stream Deck These episodes are about taking more time off — especially on the weekends. The best way you can do that is by having a good system. If you're not sure where to start, head over to https://streamlined.fm/quiz. Answer a few questions, and I'll send you exactly where you should start to build a less overwhelming business. Do you have something on your mind? Let me know at https://streamlinedfeedback.com. You can write in, or leave a voice note. I might even play it on the show. 0:00 Why AI Writing is Not Like a Calculator 5:30 Recommended Reading: The Limits of Building an Empire 9:46 Something Fun: Epic Rap Battles of History 11:21 How a Stream Deck Can Save You Time Disclosure: these show notes were generated from the transcript and written newsletter, using a very strict format for how it's all put together.

AI and Automation are not the same thing. But people seem to use the terms interchangeably. Tools like Zapier and Make are deterministic automation — you know the input, you know the output, and it's incredibly consistent. Large language models are what I'm calling interpretive automation. Run the same thing multiple times and you can get different outputs. Both can do similar things. I don't treat them the same. And in this episode I’ll tell you the differences, and how to figure out when to use each one. Want more on using AI conscientiously? Join my mailing list at https://streamlined.fm/join Show Notes Zapier Claude RSS.com Kit Leave feedback