Your greatest competitive advantage over the next decade will be the ability to think without AI.
Over the last decade, as most people stared into smartphone screens, anyone who read books gained a huge edge.
By avoiding YouTube, TikTok, social media, and podcasts—and reading $20 physical books instead—you could outpace your peers in almost any field, including business.
The next decade will look similar.
Your peers won’t think without AI. At the first sign of mental strain, they’ll ask for help. Over time, their ability to think independently will erode.
Adopt the five habits below, and you’ll gain a powerful advantage.
Habit #1: Start the day without AI
I’m writing this at 6:32 a.m. in Apple Pages with Wi-Fi turned off.
Using AI to tweak headlines or phrasing is too tempting.
Before turning on my computer or phone, I start the day with a short positive framing practice—gratitude, noticing what’s good, and focusing on what I look forward to today.
To preserve your ability to think, start your day without AI—ideally, without the internet.
Habit #2: Think alone first, then use AI
Don’t use AI to replace thinking. Use it to support it.
20 years ago, millions of people watching late-night TV discovered Abtronic. The promoters claimed the electrical muscle-stimulation device would easily sculpt six-pack abs for everyone.
Instead, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Abtronic for false claims.
The device didn’t work.
Real muscle is built through hard, consistent resistance training.
Thinking works the same way.
You don’t get smarter by outsourcing your thinking to AI. If you avoid mental strain, your ability to think declines.
Do the work first. Then use AI to iterate on your ideas.
Habit #3: Don’t use AI to make big decisions
Every regular AI user knows its biggest danger: confirmation bias.
Ask it whether selling poop on popsicle sticks is a good business idea, and it will tell you it’s brilliant.
You’ll feel good. Your life will crater.
For big decisions, seek advice from people you respect for their values and results in that area. Don’t use AI.
Habit #4: Write alone first, then edit with AI
I write everything I publish myself first. Sometimes I use AI later to edit or refine phrasing.
A major advantage in the future will belong to people known for publishing original ideas.
People want to connect with other people.
When any friend sends me AI-generated writing to read, I don’t read it. I also trust their thinking less.
Writing isn’t just for your audience. It’s how you clarify, organize, and deepen your own thinking. How you use AI determines whether those abilities grow or decay.
For example, I first wrote this newsletter alone without Wi-Fi. I then asked ChatGPT to help clean up and clarify my writing. I then manually included only the edits I thought made it clearer while preserving my original thinking and intent.
Habit #5: Read books
I returned yesterday from a business mastermind event in Mexico. Before leaving, I printed transcripts from four e-commerce podcast episodes and read them on the plane.
In an hour, I absorbed more than five hours of content.
Read physical books and printed materials. Here’s why:
- You can reread what’s most useful
- You can skim what’s not (Charlie Munger famously did this)
- You’re forced away from technology—including AI
Do this (if you dare)
Telling people to use AI less today is like telling people to read books ten years ago.
Most agree. Few act.
If you follow these five habits, you’ll think more clearly, make better decisions, and outpace your average peers—while their thinking slowly degrades.
The choice is yours.