lack of depth is destroying your brain

When is the last time you went deep?

Deep on learning? Deep in conversation? Deep in creating?

Maybe it was yesterday. Or maybe, you're struggling to come up with an answer.

We are entering a new era in human history... Our capacity for depth is vanishing. The great atrophy of the human mind has begun.

Hang with me... I've got good news too.

lazy brains...

This atrophy has been slow. Pre-AI it was simple: attention spans slowly shrinking. Short form content on death scroll.

The dopamine spikes were hard to resist. But like avoiding donuts and soda... Some of us were able to protect our minds.

Then AI entered the scene. The throttle on mind-atrophy is now pushed to maximum. All we can do is put on a seatbelt and steer.

For context, ChatGPT added 1M users in a single hour in March. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix... never seen anything like it. Our species cannot resist lessening the burden of cognitively demanding tasks.

By default, our brains are actually quite lazy. For some of us, AI will make us better, more creative. But it will not augment humanity equally. It will only amplify those who use it deliberately.

For most, it's the irresistible easy button. The easy button that will destroy your mind, if you're not careful.

poor Sarah...

Let's talk about what this looks like with an average person, let's call her Sarah.

Sarah used to:

• Write her own emails

• Make grocery lists from memory

• Do basic budgeting in Excel

• Plan her schedule manually

• Read articles and take notes

Then she starts using AI tools for everything:

• Auto-drafts her emails

• Generates shopping lists from vague prompts

• Handles her calendar and reminders

• Summarizes articles for her

• Writes content, ideas, even text messages

Who cares, right? Most of those tasks suck anyway.

I mean GPS on our phones destroyed our sense of direction... but did we really need it?

This is different. We are slowly outsourcing our executive function.

You know... those high-level mental skills that help you plan, focus, remember instructions, regulate emotions, and juggle multiple tasks effectively.

So what happens? Back to Sarah.

What Sarah Starts to Notice...

• Her brain feels a little fuzzy...even after rest

• Decisions take longer...she second guesses everything

• Cognitively demanding tasks trigger avoidance...her reflex is to grab her phone

• She has a hard time holding thoughts in her head...working memory is slipping

• Starting tasks is harder...she's always waiting to "feel ready"

• Audiobooks start sounding like word soup...not thought-provoking ideas

• Her day is full… but her mind feels scattered and shallow

It's subtle. But it's there.

Back to the GPS example though... If we ALWAYS have GPS, who cares if you can't read a map?

If we ALWAYS have AI... who cares if the mind gets a little fuzzy?

You should care... if you plan to lead. You should care... if you want to raise kids who can think for themselves. You should care... if you need to solve problems with creative solutions.

There are experts who suggest there is a 10% chance in the next 20 years that AI could destroy 50% of humanity.

This isn't ChatGPT learning how to kill you. These theories mainly involve biotech and AI weapon development.

But assuming we avoid the human massacre... I do think AI destroys us. Not with weaponry. It'll destroy us with comfort.

let's fight back!

But I did say, "I've got good news too". So let's get to that.

This is not an AI abstinence piece. I am a heavy AI user. We all need to embrace AI. But it should augment, not replace.

The good news... AI is one of the greatest achievements in human history. And we can use it to offload menial tasks to focus on our life's work.

How to combat the great atrophy of the human mind:

1. Start a newsletter

Writing is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your mind. Writing demands creativity. Creativity is connecting learned experiences for unique solutions. There is no better practice.

Why make your writing a newsletter?

Well, you know that journaling habit you can never stick to? You never stick to it because the stakes are low. Publishing your writing as a newsletter raises the stakes.

It puts you on the hook for others to read it. Preferably it puts you on the hook on a weekly basis. It helps you produce content (and we live in a world where we all need to). It forces you to think...all the time.

2. Embrace deep work

If you want a jump start on deep work, here's some content I've done on it. Deep work is the new fitness routine for the mind.

In the 1960s jogging became a thing. Largely thanks to a former Olympic coach and a U.S. heart surgeon. The connection between health and aerobic exercise became clear. You don't need to be an Olympic athlete, just jog.

Deep work, while not new, is the new jogging. I think that within the next 10 years it will be prescribed. Just like a doc will tell you to "eat right and exercise." Soon it will be "eat right, exercise, and get at least 30 minutes of deep work."

I recommend 2-4 hours per day...but start wherever you can.

3. Learn with AI

The phrase you should be repeating to yourself every time you use AI is this:

• Augment, not replace.

• Augment, not replace.

• Augment, not replace.

Running as a mode of transportation is stupid. Once in our history, it was the only option. Now, we've got trains, planes, and automobiles. Yet, we still run...for other reasons.

Running augments the human being. I do it frequently. But I also drive every damn day. Driving augments as well. Advancements in transportation have shortened the world and provided more opportunity.

So when you approach AI, ask: am I using this to augment or replace?

Example: me writing this newsletter.

I only vaguely knew the history of jogging. I thought it started somewhere in the 1950s. I knew I wanted to use it as an example in this newsletter.

So I asked ChatGPT the history of jogging. ChatGPT gave me 2,000 words on the subject. I boiled it down to three sentences I used briefly in this piece.

That's augmentation.

What I DIDN'T do was this:

"Hey ChatGPT, I want to write a piece called 'lack of depth is destroying your brain.' Can you create the outline, give examples, etc."

That would be replacing my executive function. Long term, with enough reps, that would be destructive.

Another tool I've been using to augment my learning is NotebookLM by Google.

Let's say I want to learn more about zone 2 conditioning. I can find the top 5 YouTube videos on this content. Upload them as sources to NotebookLM. I can create study guides, ask questions, and even get an audio summary.

Tools like that help me learn more, faster and deeper. Because doing things the 'hard way' doesn't mean it's better.

I could run to pick up my kids from school. But having them hop in my truck seems better.

I could consume 16 hours of content to learn something new. Or I could accelerate the process with new tools and augment myself through AI.

the choice is yours...

AI isn't going anywhere. Neither is the relentless pull toward cognitive ease.

What separates those who thrive from those who atrophy will be intentionality.

Will you use these tools to offload the mundane so you can go deeper? Or will you surrender your mental faculties to the comfort of never having to think hard again?

The depth of your life will match the depth of your thinking.

It's time to take a side. If you don't kill comfort, comfort will kill you.

try harder,

JM