How to Use AI to Do Less (But Better)

Four ways to figure out what to stop doing

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

You know what’s exhausting? Having a perfectly optimized morning routine that you hate doing. A content calendar that feels like punishment. A list of “shoulds” that look great on paper but make you want to close your laptop and stare at the wall.

Most AI advice assumes the problem is efficiency. But what if your problem isn’t that you’re not doing enough? What if it’s that you’re doing too many things that don’t fit who you actually are?

I learned this accidentally. A few weeks ago, I couldn’t stop rewatching clips from a teen drama. Instead of forcing myself back to my to-do list, I asked AI: “Why am I so obsessed with this show?”

The answer wasn’t about the show. It was about what I was craving: that all-consumed feeling, the sense that my actions mattered. Once I saw that clearly, I stopped fighting the obsession and did one thing that actually addressed what I was hungry for. I organized customer feedback for a project I cared about. Two hours later, someone noticed. The work mattered.

That’s what I mean by doing less but better. Not productivity. Permission to stop doing things that don’t fit, and start paying attention to what does—even when it looks like procrastination.

Here are four ways to use AI for that kind of clarity.

1. Mirror Your Messy Thinking

What this does: Shows you what you’re actually trying to say underneath all the noise, so you can stop spinning and start working with it.

The prompt: “I’m going to dump my thoughts about [situation]. Don’t solve it or give advice yet. Just read it slowly and tell me what I’m actually trying to say underneath all this.”

Why this works: You’re not asking AI to analyze the situation. You’re asking it to reflect YOUR thinking back so you can see your own patterns. The mess is the point—include the repetitive parts, the contradictions, the “this sounds stupid but...” sections. When AI mirrors it back clearly, you can finally see what to stop wrestling with and what to actually pay attention to.

I used this when I couldn’t stop thinking about a teen drama. I dumped everything: the embarrassment, the confusion about why I cared, the feeling that I was procrastinating but also that I was looking for something. AI mirrored back: you’re craving that all-consumed feeling, you miss when your actions felt important. I already knew that. I just needed to hear it said clearly. That let me stop feeling guilty about the obsession and instead ask: what one thing could I do today that would give me that feeling?

Common mistake: Stopping at the first response. Ask “What else am I saying?” or “What’s underneath that?” The second or third answer is usually where clarity lives.

2. Use Your Gut Reactions

What this does: Uses your physical response to suggestions as data about what to eliminate and what secretly appeals to you.

The prompt: “Give me 3-5 different approaches to [situation]. Make them genuinely different from each other. I want to feel my gut reaction to each one.”

Why this works: You’re not asking AI to pick the right answer. You’re using its suggestions to discover what you can cross off the list and what pulls you even when it “shouldn’t.” Pay attention to which option makes you tense up, which one makes you want to close the browser, which one feels embarrassing but also kind of right.

I use this constantly when planning. I’ll brain dump everything I could do, ask AI for a plan or suggestion, then watch my reaction to what it proposes. My gut immediately knows what to eliminate. Sometimes I realize I don’t actually want any of it—which tells me I’m forcing something that doesn’t fit. Other times, one option makes me sit up straighter, even if it wasn’t what I thought I “should” choose. The suggestion itself doesn’t matter. My body’s response does.

If everything gets an “ugh no,” that means something different. Maybe you’re trying to force a change you don’t actually want. Ask: “I’m rejecting all of these. What does that tell me?”

Common mistake: Trying to logic your way through the options. Don’t. Notice which one makes your shoulders tense, which one makes you defensive. Your body knows before your brain catches up.

3. Spot Patterns You’re Living Inside Of

What this does: Shows you patterns you can’t see from inside your own life, so you can interrupt them instead of repeating them unconsciously.

The prompt: “I’m going to share [multiple examples of something]. Don’t tell me what to do. Just tell me what patterns you notice about what I seem to want or avoid or keep choosing.”

Why this works: You bring the raw material—job descriptions you’ve saved, journal entries, your calendar from the past month, what you actually wear versus what sits in your closet. AI holds up the mirror and shows you the pattern. Once you see it, you can stop unconsciously repeating it.

This one can be uncomfortable. AI might show you that you keep choosing situations where you have an excuse not to commit. Or that you say you want flexibility but keep gravitating toward structure. Or that if you’ve saved 10 job descriptions for creative roles and 0 for management, maybe you should stop applying for manager positions just because they seem “serious.”

That discomfort is usually the insight. Sit with it before dismissing it. If a pattern feels wrong or too harsh, push back: “I don’t think that’s accurate. Here’s more context...” Then see if it still holds. Sometimes AI picks up on your negative framing. Sometimes it sees something real you don’t want to admit.

Common mistake: Only bringing one example. Patterns emerge from repetition. Bring multiple instances so AI has something to work with.

4. Reality-Check Ideas Against Your Actual Life

What this does: Tests whether something would actually work for you—the real you with real constraints—not your ideal version of yourself.

The prompt: “I think I want to [do something]. Help me talk through what it would actually look like in my real life. Ask me questions about my constraints, my typical day, what I’ve tried before that’s similar.”

Why this works: This forces honesty about who you actually are versus who you wish you were. Say you’re thinking about weekly video content, but you have two kids, you hate being on camera, and you’ve abandoned three content projects by week 3. AI doesn’t tell you yes or no. It helps you examine whether this idea fits your actual patterns. The question underneath is: Am I making plans for the person I wish I was, or the person I actually am?

Use this before committing to a new routine, when considering something that sounds good but might not fit, or when you keep making plans you don’t follow through on. It helps you recognize what won’t work before you exhaust yourself trying. And it gives you permission to design for who you actually are—if you love quick feedback loops, hate long timelines, need external structure, build for that. Stop apologizing for what you need.

Common mistake: Describing your ideal day instead of your actual one. Be honest about the three times you hit snooze, the way you always forget lunch, the fact that your toddler follows you to the bathroom. The more real your constraints, the more useful the reality check.

This Won’t Make You More Productive

These four methods aren’t about doing more. They’re about seeing yourself clearly enough to do less—but have what you do actually fit your life.

When I asked AI about my teen drama obsession, I could have asked for a productivity hack to get back on track. Instead, I got curious about what the obsession meant. That led to doing one thing that mattered instead of forcing through a to-do list.

That’s the move. Not “how do I optimize this?” but “what is this trying to tell me?”

This isn’t about endless self-reflection for its own sake. Self-awareness becomes self-indulgence when it never leads anywhere, when it’s just more journaling about the same problems without ever changing anything. What I’m describing is different: reflection that leads to action. See yourself clearly, then do something different. Use AI to subtract what doesn’t fit. Use it to give yourself permission to pay attention to what does—even when it looks like distraction.

You might end up doing less. But what you do will actually be yours.

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