Combining ChatGPT With Your 'Zone of Genius'

A framework for integrating GenAI tools into your workflow

I’ll be honest: I’m rarely in what people call a ‘flow state’. According to our friends at Wikipedia, the concept of ‘flow’ comes from a theory related to sports psychology called the Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning in which each person has their subjective area of flow, where they would function best given the situation.

I’m hardly ever functioning at my best. Even when I’m in the ‘flow’ of writing, I’m usually tired, over-caffeinated, distracted by my phone, have too many tabs open on my browser, am thinking about three other things I should be doing at this moment instead of writing, and remembering four other things I forgot.

The reason I care so much about workflow is that I never quite seem to achieve my own ‘Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning’. Also, if you’ve ever worked at a company bogged down by outdated or inefficient workflow processes, you know that some bosses and employers actively make it harder for their own employees to do their best work (when I think about the project management system I was forced to use at my previous job, I can only shudder with terror and laughter at how bad it was).

Determining what AI can and cannot do for you

So, what does this have to do with ChatGPT? Since I started teaching myself about GenAI and learning how to use it effectively, I’ve been trying to determine not only the best ways to use these tools but also when you should not use them.

Every tech company right now is trying to sell you on the idea that AI will do it all: increase efficiency, save time, eliminate boring and redundant tasks, act as your personal assistant, create and design whatever you need in seconds, and even help you fall in love.

In reality, tools like ChatGPT will help you do like 3-to-5 things related to your job or your business either faster, or better. It’s up to you to figure out what those 3-to-5 things are, and then get really good at prompt engineering for these specific tasks.

Why you shouldn’t use GenAI for the skill you’re best at

The more that I learn about GenAI, the more I’ve realized that you shouldn’t use it to replace your best or most sought-after skill. Some people call this your ‘superpower’ (cringe) or your ‘zone of genius’ (slightly less cringe)—basically the skill or talent you excel at.

Let’s look at three scenarios so you understand what I mean:

• Scenario A: You are an experienced copywriter. You could spend hours training your GenAI tool of choice to write like you, but it’s unlikely that it will be able to fully mimic your voice, tone, and writing style. Instead, you could use GenAI to edit or proofread your first drafts, create an outline, come up with social media blurbs for the copy you wrote, add SEO to a post, craft a pitch email to a client, or help you rewrite headlines.

• Scenario B: You work in marketing or advertising for a company. You could ask ChatGPT to come up with marketing or advertising strategies for you, but you already know what works (and what doesn’t) because you’ve been in your industry for a long time. Instead, after you’ve determined the marketing strategy for your product/company, you use GenAI to help create all the documents and you might need for this specific campaign (creative brief, video scripts, meeting transcripts, marketing one-sheets, etc.).
  

• Scenario C: You run your own business. You could use GenAI to help you find clients, but your time is probably better spent building business relationships and selling your product/service to prospective customers. In this scenario, you could use tools like ChatGPT for copywriting, brainstorming ideas, building a website, doing market research, planning social media content, etc.

The better way to integrate GenAI into your process

Contrary to popular belief, creating a workflow that integrates GenAI is about adding—not subtracting or replacing the meaningful, quality work you already do. You can think of it like an equation:

The Thing You Excel At + Crafting Good Prompts + GenAI = Desired Result

Many GenAI products want to convince people that they can completely get rid of the first part of the equation:

The Thing You Excel At + Crafting Good Prompts + GenAI = Desired Result

Don’t do that. I know this takes time, but you want to take a step back and think strategically about how and when you use GenAI in your own process.

The subhead of this post is called a framework for integrating tools like ChatGPT because you can’t build anything without a frame: this includes an effective workflow.

What is it that you’re trying to build or create? How can GenAI help you make it, or promote it? Where in the process will you use it?

Asking yourself these questions first will allow you to feel less overwhelmed by all your options. Remember that less is more. Using a GenAI tool for three (or even one) thing that is essential to your work or your business is going to produce better results than trying to integrate it into everything you do. Although, tech companies would certainly love that!

You can still do good work in a suboptimal state

The potential uses of GenAI are unlimited, but this can lead to many feeling like they have to use it for everything. We live in a world where we’re obsessed with optimization and finding our 'flow state’. It’s no longer enough to be ‘in the zone’, now we have to be in our zone of GENIUS all the time.

When I think about my own productivity and how I achieve my best work, it has very little to do with flow. Every meaningful thing I’ve accomplished is the result of showing up, pretty consistently, and making a little bit of progress towards my goal each time—regardless of how I’m feeling or what ‘state’ I’m in.

Have fun building your GenAI framework :)

Programming note: Prompt Me will now be delivered to your inbox every two weeks on Wednesdays instead of Fridays (because by the end of the week I think most people’s brains are too tired to think about GenAI).

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