The most significant impact AI has had on my life is not that it makes me more productive. It’s that it lowers the psychological cost of action.
That may sound like productivity by another name, but I think it’s something quite different. Productivity is about getting more done. What I’ve noticed is that AI changes how I feel before I begin. Projects that once would have felt daunting now feel easy breezy. Questions that might have sent me down hours of research no longer create the same sense of friction. My imposter syndrome is lessening. I’m much less intimidated by hew challenging work than I used to be.
Part of this may simply be age. And part of it is undoubtedly the result of years spent studying and practicing surrender. I’ve come to trust that I don’t need certainty before taking action, and that most of life unfolds one step at a time rather than according to plan.
But I also think ChatGPT is helping, like a lot.
For most of my career, every new project came with an invisible cognitive tax. Before I could begin, there was a long list of questions running in the background: What do I need to know? Where do I start? What am I missing? How long will it take me to become competent enough to move forward? The uncertainty wasn’t debilitating, but it was stressful.
I rarely feel that these days.
I feel like ChatGPT has become my brain’s external hard drive. When I leave a meeting, I drop my notes into ChatGPT. When I have an idea for a keynote, a book, a podcast episode, or a client engagement, I capture it there. When I encounter an insight that I don’t want to lose, I store it there. Increasingly, I don’t feel responsible for remembering everything because I know I can find it again. And having all my thoughts in this archive also helps me connect dots so much more.
That’s the real value add. Remembering things is helpful. And philosophers have argued for centuries that memory is central to the experience of selfhood. It’s identity. Yet despite understanding that, I find myself increasingly comfortable outsourcing pieces of it (especially work pieces).
I’ve read plenty of artivkes about how that’s making us dumber and maybe so but for now it’s making me feel more capable and less stressed at work.
The distance between “I have an idea” and “I know how to begin” has collapsed. When I encounter something unfamiliar, I no longer feel the same pressure to become an expert before taking the first step. I have access to a thinking partner that can help me organize complexity, identify blind spots, challenge assumptions, and point me toward the next useful question.
I am a lot less afraid of what I don’t know.
What if AI’s greatest contribution is not informational but psychological?
Surrender taught me that I don’t need certainty before I act. AI reinforces that lesson by making uncertainty feel more navigable. I spend a lot less time worrying about whether I have enough information to begin, and more time beginning.
Elsewhere In Culture
The Psychology of Workplace Design with John Frehse
We tend to think workplace experience is shaped by policy. This conversation asks whether it starts much earlier than that.
John and I explore what physical spaces communicate before leaders ever say a word. From offices designed to feel like social clubs to environments built for awe, we discuss how trust, belonging, and behavior are influenced by the experiences people repeatedly have inside a space. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ceo-daily-brief-with-dr-jessica-kriegel/id1725350421?i=1000773708670 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LdBb9aXR15Cm77Tpk4Aq9?si=16970d0ececb42c5
Luck Is Not a Safety Strategy with Luigi Cusano and John Frehse
Organizations rarely intend to create unsafe environments. But intention and outcomes are not the same thing.
John, Luigi, and I discuss why safety is created through systems, follow through, and daily choices rather than awareness alone. We explore why asking for feedback without action can damage trust more than not asking at all. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ceo-daily-brief-with-dr-jessica-kriegel/id1725350421?i=1000773863501 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5z1Kin5JMkRHs6qDNScvVA?si=srHCu1n-SEWMGLzvW4doCg
Is Lead Gen Dead? with John Frehse
AI can accelerate outreach. That does not mean it creates connection.
John and I explore why attention is becoming easier to buy and harder to earn. We discuss what trust looks like in a crowded market and why credibility increasingly comes from demonstrated value rather than automated visibility. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ceo-daily-brief-with-dr-jessica-kriegel/id1725350421?i=1000774016272 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nevlIQw0YH7gVoBKHrxZD?si=1cc415193ff44ce8
Business Introductions with John Frehse and Martin Gutmann
We talk a lot about networking as if more connections automatically create more opportunity. I’m not convinced that’s true.
John, Martin, and I discuss when introductions create value and when they create obligation. We explore the role of curiosity, what makes someone worth making time for, and why the best conversations often happen between people who think completely differently.
I Quit with John Frehse
People often assume there are only two choices at work: stay unhappy or leave. This conversation explores a third option.
John and I discuss expectations, fulfillment, and what happens when people stop expecting work to provide everything they need. We explore surrender, accountability, and why choosing to stay can sometimes be just as intentional as choosing to leave.