How to Intentionally Prepare for the Future of AI & Superintelligence (What I’m Doing to Save My Future Self’s A**)
Preface (A little note about the future):
The future will be intense. And nope, I don’t even mean this in a bad way.
Polarity has always existed on this planet, so yes, even though the online world will make it seem like doomsday is coming, it is actually not.
As with everything, there will always be a split. Your thoughts, your energy, and your beliefs decide which side of the future you will be on.
When the shadows seem to be growing darker, it’s because the light has gotten stronger. Wherever there’s darkness, you can bet that light is close by.
So the question is just: What will you choose? Where will you direct your focus?
Will it be Fear or will it be Love?
—
We live in one of the most transformational times this planet has ever seen.
(Even if boomers try to compare the rise of AI & Superintelligence to the invention of calculators, let’s be honest, it’s not the same.)
And even though this time on planet Earth feels scary for many, a co-existing part of me finds hope in the fact that many also notice the seriousness of this situation now. Even though AI seems to already have overtaken the internet, in the grand scheme of things, we’re still at the beginning. Like, very beginning. Which means, if you as an individual (and hopefully many others) decide to dive into this topic now, educate yourself, take a look within and at your values, and especially read this post here, you’re doing your future self a major service. I’m not kidding; I cannot even begin to tell you how diving into stuff like this right now will actually change your life in the future.
The AI & Superintelligence ball has started rolling, but it’s not at its fullest speed yet (even if it already feels like it sometimes). AI has overtaken the internet by storm, and most people simply let themselves be pulled around without once stopping and actually intentionally and intuitively preparing themselves for the kind of times we have ahead of us (again, I do not mean that in a bad, fear-mongering way).
You have no idea (well, now you do) how incredibly powerful these months we’re in currently are. And believe me, you’re at the right place.
These will be the most important things you can focus on to prepare for the future (I think everyone, without exception, should do this now):
Reclaiming your attention span (& setting up systems)
Mastering self-agency (it will be the most important thing you will ever have in your entire life)
Taking a deep, intentional and intuitive look within and writing down your values & how you want to use AI in the future (& why you need to do this now)
Return to community, nature & simplicity
1. Reclaiming your attention span (& setting up a system)
The future will be (on one side of the split) fast-paced, overwhelming, overstimulating, and yes, unfortunately full of digital brainrot, ads, and platforms that want nothing more than to keep you hooked. We live in a society that largely can’t focus or carry out deep work anymore, and we’re already seeing the alarming effects it has on our brains and health.
Big corporations do not have good intentions when it comes to our happiness and wellbeing. I think by now we all know that. No matter how detrimental the effects might be for you and your life, your attention = makes them more money. And at the end of the day, for the people on top, it is about the money. Don’t get fooled; no matter how good & emotional the messaging and the ads are, they will still choose money over your wellbeing at the very end of each day.
The good thing? You can take back control. Yes, even if you’ve already tried a million different things and have failed or if you feel severely “addicted” to social media or constant content consumption. Many people are reconnecting and reclaiming their attention spans, and there’s an immense rise in people getting offline, good companies creating less distracting products, distraction blockers, and a huge influx of in-person communities and in-person gatherings.
Reclaiming your attention span doesn’t have to mean going cold turkey on all apps and digital devices. If done wisely and with the right knowledge, replacements, and systems in place, you’ll get your attention & hours back in no time.
Reclaiming your attention starts with a few simple question:
How are you currently using your sacred attention? (Yes, our attention is sacred.)
How would you truly like to use your sacred attention for good? What would actually deeply fulfill you? (Tune into your intuition as well.)
Implementation + Creating a system that works for you + Doing what’s hard
Answer these first two questions for yourself somewhere. I highly recommend writing all of this down in a physical notebook. This might literally change your future.
As soon as you have truthfully answered question 1 and question 2, the last point is where most people struggle. For me, the last step is a mix of gathering knowledge, setting up systems that will serve you later on, and also actively doing and seeking out what’s hard (you can also make this step addicting, which is what worked for me).
Gathering knowledge for me means learning about dopamine and the brain. My most life-changing read about this topic was Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke. It teaches you about the pain-pleasure scale and how dopamine shapes our lives, habits, and addictions. I couldn’t recommend reading it more.
Setting up systems is something I worked on for the past 2 years, and it was an excruciating journey of trial and error. After I knew how I truly wanted to use my attention, the platforms I wanted to use, my goals, and how I wanted to spend my time, I created digital & non-digital systems that reflected my ideal way of living.
For me this looked like (it will look different for everyone): App blockers (I use Freedom, since it can’t be easily turned off), deleting social media apps from my phone (especially apps like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok). To post on Instagram & to access DMs, I use the Meta Business Suite app & desktop version. Adding distraction blockers on all browsers (I use SocialFocus), reading more, creating & focusing on in-person community, meditation, calming instrumental music & frequencies, stopping listening to music all the time, inviting in offline hobbies, and actively pushing through when things became hard (& becoming “addicted’’ to the feeling you get after you’ve done something uncomfortable/difficult).
If you struggle with your phone & social media usage, I have a FREE Notion board with my exact system & more resources HERE.
I highly recommend taking a few hours one time to set up a system that you cannot bypass later on. Doing this once will save you days, if not months, of your life. The first 2–3 weeks might be hard. Don’t get discouraged if you want to (or do) find loopholes, fall back into old patterns, or need to tweak your system a few times. This is a process, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
To be human means to return to yourself as many times as you need.
As someone who struggled with inconsistency their entire life, I get how hard all of this can sometimes be. The important thing, though, is that you always put yourself back on track. This is where true strength lies.
2. Mastering self-agency
Self-agency ties in heavily with a lot of the things I mentioned above. Self-agency is the most important thing we will ever have, and it will be the number 1 most important thing you can focus on in your life now.
Self-agency signifies the inherent capacity of an individual or collective to act independently and make autonomous choices.
As we know, companies and big corporations deliberately spend billions to create algorithms that make people addicted. And when we as humans can’t intentionally choose where to direct our sacred attention and walk through life with the attention of a goldfish (which is currently happening and the reality for many, many people out there), directly followed by AI sneakily seeping into our daily lives, this can become dangerous.
Now, more than ever, you need to have control over your brain, your attention, know your values, and know deeply who you are as a person. You need to know what’s important to you, what your north stars are, and where you’re going. Even if you don’t know specifically what exactly you want from life, just having a general idea or knowing which points to focus on, i.e., family, home, creativity, etc., is good too. People that do not care to focus on these things before the Superintelligence storm hits will have to put it lightly an incredibly tough time in the years to come.
You need to know yourself, what you stand for, and what you want from life so deeply that no amount of peer- or societal pressure can throw you off track. Most people go their entire lives conforming to what’s seen as normal, to what everyone else is doing. Many people out there don’t think critically. They don’t ask themselves the big questions, and they run away from the discomfort that arises when they tune inwards. I talk about this a lot, but I’m certain that if you’re reading this, you came here to create your own blueprint. The world makes you feel like there’s one (or only a few approved) blueprints or paths we should all adhere to. This is complete and utter bullsh*t.
Doing things differently, walking your own path, being authentically yourself, making decisions that others don’t understand is DIFFICULT. And it’s supposed to be. We as humans are wired to do what everyone else is doing. Everything else signals DANGER to our incredible (but very cautious) nervous system. Especially if you grew up struggling with peer pressure, people-pleasing, or simply following what everyone else is doing, this might present itself as a challenge to you. The only piece of advice I can give you on that is:
When discomfort arises, but you know deep down it is what you must do, leap. Don’t run from it. Running from the discomfort is what you’ve done in the past. It’s what most people do when they are faced with the decision of staying on society’s path or walking their authentic path. See the discomfort for what it is: a portal. A portal to a life that’s truly yours, truly authentic, and truly meaningful.
Be brave enough to do your own thing, to walk your own path, even if you’re the only person on the entire planet doing it that way
So when the future comes, even if you don’t have all of the answers yet, even if there’s still so much left to uncover within, make sure you are so deeply rooted in yourself that you can observe what’s happening out in the world without being consumed and overtaken by it.
When everybody jumps on the newest AI trend, may you be so connected to your inner compass that you do what’s right for you and your path, even if others label you as “impractical.” When everything becomes faster, may you be brave enough to go slow, even if others call you a fool. When consumerism gets out of hand, may you be aligned enough with your soul to become a minimalist, even if you’re the only minimalist on the planet. When new digital inventions attempt to make their way into our lives, may you be strong enough to take a step back and, if needed, disconnect, even if the entire world says that you’re clinging onto the past and have to move with time.
Above are just some examples. Now it’s your turn. With the knowledge you have now, knowing that self-agency is the most important thing you will ever possess, yet that it can also be uncomfortable but still must be followed through with, what exactly are the things you stand for? Who are you when you disconnect from the voices, opinions, and paths that were (and are still) given to you? Who are you beneath all of the layers of self that were never truly you to begin with?
3. Writing down your values & how you want to use AI in the future
I already ventured into this topic quite a bit above, but I still think it’s important to write about this individually.
If you haven’t written anything down from the last paragraphs, I highly urge you, even if it’s just for this part, to grab a physical notebook and intentionally write down your values. It will be a piece of writing that you can come back to time and time again. I recommend not just skimming this part and doing this in your head. Write it down.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a creative or any other individual. If you use the internet, you have noticed that AI has made its way into pretty much every website, platform, and tool that we use digitally on a daily basis.
I will speak from personal experience here, but my reasoning for writing about this so passionately and urgently is that I have noticed myself, the temptation, and the thin ice that lies between us and the usage of those tools. We find them right at our fingertips, one click away. Instead of sitting here writing for what soon will be my fourth hour, I could dictate a few words into my phone and have a finished article in front of me a minute later. Same thing goes for podcasts, videos, paintings, photographs, digital products, and so on. And we all know more tools and possibilities are already on their way.
I’m not strictly against AI, even if it may seem like it in this post. I have conflicted feelings about it all, and there’s still so much I don’t know or haven’t pondered about yet. Still, I noticed myself, despite my intuition clearly showing itself, trying out different AI tools and being fascinated by them. I also noticed myself bending my own boundaries and values, although I knew that using AI for specific things didn’t feel right in my bones.
The lines blur easily.
“I won’t use AI to write,” but then they start editing it slightly, only asking ChatGPT for a few points, then getting a few recommendations, and whoops, suddenly it would make sense to just see how it would draft the next chapter. “But I won’t use it; I’ll just see what it suggests,” quickly turns into “Well yeah, I used ChatGPT to write it, but it was still my idea, I still gave it the prompt!!”
I’m not saying we all have to boycott AI (although it would certainly solve many problems). I’m not even here to tell you how to use AI. All I’m here for is to ask you to take a step back for now, even if just for this afternoon, before the bigger storm hits. To go back to the beginning, to your core values, and take a look at what the end goals are.
If AI is here to help you become more efficient, faster, and to get you to reach your goals at lightning speed, first ask yourself: What even is the goal? Especially for creatives: Is AI here to do your art for you more efficiently and faster, only for you to then have more time to do…what? Don’t let the illusion of speed and efficiency take away the process. Life is not a goal to reach. Life is process. Why are we rushing? Why are we trying to get through with our lives so quickly?
Another good question to ask yourself is: Would you rather create a few really good things that you feel immensely proud of, that help create your own legacy, or would you rather leave behind a thousand half-hearted things that at the end of your life only pile up with the other indistinguishable “AI slop creations” of the world?
One thing that I’m doing this January is disconnecting from every single AI tool (although I’ve never really used many). I do not feel okay with the slippery slope we were all automatically put on simply by being users of the internet. Most of us will continue down this path without once taking a step back and asking themselves what feels true and good to them, their path, and what they came onto this planet to do.
Questions I’m asking myself to put together my list (+ a few extra ones):
How am I currently using AI (if it all)? Write down all the platforms & ways.
How do I want to spend my time on this planet, what are the things I want to create and the things that are most important to me? What is the end goal? (Even if you don’t have all of the answers, just write down what applies now.)
What are my core values? (going back to what i mentioned at the beginning)
How (if at all) can I implement AI tools into my life that would actually help me, without bypassing my intuition, my core values and the feeling I have deep down after using it?
Do I really need AI to do these tasks? Could I potentially widen my attention span, capacity for discomfort and perseverance If I chose to do it myself, without the temptation of having it done in a minute or 2, or would it actually really defer me from my true path and help me live more in my purpose?
How can I involve real-people and connections, instead of resorting to AI tools just because they’re quick and ‘‘cheap’’?
How can the effort, the extra steps, the ‘‘challenges’’ that might arise within the pursuit, process or connection of doing the specific thing without AI, actually be beneficial to me, my life and my future, even if I can’t feel it in the moment?
Where does my sense of urgency or need to do things faster come from? Is it really serving me? Is it really necessary to have everything as fast as possible
Having a written list like this that you can refer to and taking the time to think about this by putting pen to paper, especially in times where we feel like we blink once and a hundred new changes have entered our world, is golden. Most people won’t actively think about stuff like this. Be the (very) small percentage that does. When new tools or inventions arrive, tune within. First check in with your intuition and then with this written list. Trust me, your future self will thank you.
4. Return to community, nature & simplicity
This is the last point, but it’s also unarguably the most important one. We live in times where we are more disconnected than we’ve ever been before. We’re lonelier than ever, more disconnected from nature than ever, and most of us are a trillion miles away from living a simple life. Most of our lives feel overwhelming, complicated, and cluttered. As do our minds.
The three things above: community, nature & simplicity are things that will, beyond a doubt, shift your entire life for the better. They are the foundation of a well-lived life, yet still often so rare in this world that we live in.
Return to the wisdom these things carry and watch what happens.
Watch the kind of magic that unfolds when we take off all the coats we’ve been wearing and at last notice that the weather was warm all along.
This time right now on planet Earth is asking us to reconnect to what’s been here all along. We clothe ourselves in new and shiny things, yet most come to a point where we notice that each piece only wore us down and made us feel heavy.
This is how I’m reconnecting:
Community: Creating my own community, hosting picnics, in-person gatherings, movie nights, game nights, art nights with friends, apps like Timeleft, Breakfast, Meetup, Eventbrite, and also sometimes in-person gatherings found through Instagram or TikTok (ironic, yes, but mindfully using the digital tools available to us to get to an actually fulfilling end goal can still be beneficial).
The fastest way to get a seat at the table is to host the meal.
I still remember the first time I hosted an in-person gathering, which was a women’s circle. I’ve hosted plenty of in-person stuff since, planned gatherings, hosted retreats and co-livings. All of these things allowed for more magic to come into my life than I could’ve ever imagined. You’ll be nervous at first, worried that no one will come or care. It will be awkward to get to know new people. You might want to cancel. You might say weird sh*t and still think about it days after. You might accidentally spit while talking to someone up close, and you’ll want to sink into a hole and die. That’s fine. That’s what we’re supposed to leap toward. The discomfort. Too many people run from it, and look at the result: isolation and loneliness. The discomfort, embarrassment, “cringe,” and fear you feel means that you’re doing something important. Push through and watch the magic unfold.
Nature: Even just going outside once a day, going on walks, fresh air, hugging a tree, moving to the countryside (if possible, of course near people, community, family, friends), lying in the grass, going on a forest walk, sitting in the park to read, hosting a picnic, going to a picnic, joining a run club, a hiking club or a walking club, joining an outdoor movement or yoga class.
Simplicity: Research minimalism if it feels aligned (nope, does not mean that you will suddenly have a life & apartment that feels and looks like a white hospital room), declutter, return to ancient wisdom, focus on the day ahead and practice presence instead of worrying about the entire staircase in front of you (aka your future).
Simplicity, in my personal life and especially when it comes to my digital usage & material possessions, gives me back the energy and focus I need, so I can explore my creativity, my soul, and life’s multidimensionality & vastness in peace, without the constant overwhelm and overstimulation.
Last few words
There is nothing to fear about the future. The future is determined by our energy in the present moment, and even if it may at times not feel like it, there is so much light and so much good everywhere around if you just look for it. If you have to, disconnect. Disconnect from all the bullsh*t out there, all the sources of fear-mongering and things that make you feel like doomsday is coming.
And if you need one last permission slip: It is safe for you to tune into your own intuition, to trust yourself and your own choices. You can go slow, at your own pace, and do what feels right to you no matter what others say. In revolutions like the one we’re going through right now, your best compass, when you don’t know what to do, is within.
Sending you all Love,
