How to Use AI Like a $700/hr Consultant w/ Danoosh Kapadia Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training the right skills faster. read time: 2 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify. When it comes to AI, most of us are doing one of two things: Automating low-level tasks Chasing whatever new tool is trending this week But during my conversation with Danoosh Kapadia, an AI educator who coaches executives on strategic thinking, he said something that instantly reframed...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I made a dumb mistake that made my amazing mic sound like it was off Temu. For years, I was running my Shure SM7B through a cheap USB adapter, wondering why my audio sounded flat despite having what's supposedly one of the best podcast mics money can buy. I'm embarrassed it took me this long to upgrade my audio interface, but the difference was night and day. Here's when you'll actually need an audio interface and which one to get. USB Mic vs XLR: What's the difference? USB mics...
14 days ago • 2 min read
AI screening lawsuit that changes everything for job applicants Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training your zone of genius. read time: 2-3 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify. Derek Mobley, an IT professional from North Carolina, applied for 100 jobs between 2017-2019. Many rejections came within an hour. Sometimes he got nothing but silence. The math didn't add up. That many quick rejections didn't make sense unless something other than humans was making...
16 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Here's something that drives me crazy. People quit podcasting before they even start because they get intimidated by editing software choices. So let me break down what I've found since 2012 for podcasting specifically, testing every option that comes out. Editing software is just like a diet or workout program. The best one is the one you'll stick with because it's doable. I'm going to walk you through the nuances most people miss when choosing their editing software, plus some...
21 days ago • 3 min read
Turn your life into a lab with this 5 minute exercise from Tiny Experiments Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training your zone of genius. read time: 3 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify. Last week, I stumbled across this chapter in a neuroscience book called "Tiny Experiments" by Anne-Laure LeCunff that changed how I think about thinking. It was a simple metacognition exercise that I immediately put to use and found useful benefits right off the bat....
23 days ago • 4 min read
What Duolingo's AI-first backlash reveals about the power of people Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training the strength & conditioning of skills. So you can learn new things, faster. read time: 3-4 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify A little over a month ago, the CEO of Duolingo sent out what he felt was a very smart internal email about being AI first. The backlash that followed was something none of us could have predicted. And I think it really marked...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
I tried turning my smartphone into a dumb phone for 3 months Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training the strength & conditioning of skills. So you can learn new things, faster. read time: 2 minutes A few months ago, I was working on a project that required deep focus. Within 20 minutes, I had unconsciously opened my email three times, checked my email twice, and glanced at YouTube Studio—all without accomplishing a single meaningful task. This got me thinking about...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Three years ago, I had a client who spent two months getting ready to start her podcast. She bought the mic. Set up her recording space. Even had her first five episodes planned out. But she never hit record. The editing software paralyzed her. Every tutorial she watched made it seem more complicated than it needed to be. This is a major bottleneck that dozens of clients inevitably encounter. I’ve found that editing is one of the biggest things that holds people back from starting...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
How to Buy Back 20+ Hours Per Week Using AI (w/ Aarti Anand) Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training the strength & conditioning of skills. So you can learn new things, faster. read time: 2 minutes I recently sat down with Aarti Anand on my podcast, a software engineer turned founder of Kodenyx AI who's been building AI automations for companies ranging from SMBs to enterprise clients. She helped one client transform their existing six-figure SaaS offer into $2M ARR...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read