Ep. 161 - Outsource the Overwhelm: A Shortcut to Fewer Things Better

What if asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness—but actually a path to greater strength?  In this episode, we’re diving into simple, practical ways AI can help you do fewer things—but do them better.  Think of it as a digital helping hand—not to do everything for you, but to support your strengths and free up your time and energy.  You don’t need to be a tech expert to let AI lighten your load and seeking support in any form is a smart, strategic move—not a surrender.

Transcript

Like a lot of GenXers, I'm used to doing all the things, all the time, and by myself, thank you very much. I was a latchkey kid and early-stage feminist, so I wore self-sufficiency and independence like girl scout badges of honor. I was raised on frozen pizza and fierce independence, so I made it a point to never ask for help–not that much was offered by the way.

And hey, that resilience served me well for a while—until it didn’t. But the reality is, life doesn’t work like that. You can’t be a partner, parent, friend, or coworker and carry all the rocks in just your backpack. 

We all need help. Full stop.

And in today’s wild world, it seems like burnout and loneliness are trending so much because they’ve got their own personal publicists. And there still seems to be a stigma about receiving support. Which is simply silly. Let’s be honest: the only thing you're proving by doing it all is how fast you can burn out, that’s one competition I don’t want to win.

The Bottom Line on Top of this episode is that you get stronger, not weaker, when you seek out and accept help. And you’ll find so much more is within reach when you stop standing in your own way.

This won’t be a one-and-done lesson—it’s an ongoing practice. One that you’ll have plenty of chances to revisit in this thing called life… especially when facing changes.

I slipped right back into my Do-It-All mentality when I became an entrepreneur. I was a single mom of two teenagers during the first year of COVID, and I kept trying to juggle all the things. Some part of me still thought, “If it isn’t hard, it isn’t worth doing.”

But doing it all just makes it hard. Really hard.

And then I heard this quote by finance strategist Dave Ramsey:

"If you're doing everything yourself, you don't own a business—you own a treadmill."

Um, yes. Treadmill. On top incline with no water bottle.

So today’s episode is a practical overview of how to get a little bit of help—not from a person, but from artificial intelligence.  

Yes, I’m talking about embracing the tech of AI to still do fewer things better, but just a little faster and without as much overthinking all the time. 

I know there’s a lot of noise out there about AI—the ethics, the algorithms, the “are we building our own overlords?” debates. But let’s set that aside for the moment and consider a simpler question:

Can there be a shortcut to doing fewer things better?
 And can that shortcut be… AI?

Let’s give it a think.

And start by addressing the robot in the room. AI isn’t about replacing us—it’s about amplifying us.

Think of it like a sous chef. It’s not going to host the dinner party—but it can chop up the veggies, preheat the oven, and remind you that you left the wine in the freezer. It gives you back time, energy, and a little bit more of your brain space.

And for those of us who’ve been doing everything solo since before there was Wi-Fi—that’s big.

Okay so where to start? You don’t need fancy plug-ins, to learn extensive tech talk, or a bunch of subscriptions. Pick a platform and just start asking it questions. 

A great place to start is with everyday communications. Your words, just… less overthinking it.

• Stuck on how to start an email? Ask AI.
  
  
  
• Need a birthday message that’s not cheesy? Definitely ask AI.
  
  
  
• Want to say no to something without sounding like a jerk? Yup, ask it.
  
  

And here’s a fun tip: Tell it the tone you want like this: Write this email casually and friendly, like a podcast host who’s had just the right amount of coffee”--you know, just for instance.

My friend Sari takes it a step further—she’ll say things like:

“Help me negotiate this like Chris Voss from his book Never Split the Difference.” 

I think that is so brilliant.

Another great way to use ai is for quick summaries of things.

So for this GenXer–AI is my modern version of Cliff Notes. Drop in a long article, and get the TL;DR version (too long, didn’t read, give me the shortcut).

Yes, even the ones behind a paywall—you can usually copy/paste the snippet and ask for a recap. Let’s be honest, I wasn’t going to read the whole article anyway, I was going to skim it while doing four other things.

You can also upload infographics, slides, or even messy notes and say: “Summarize this in three bullets,” or “Turn this into a short update I can send to my team.”

Whether it’s your own typed notes or screenshots, AI can interpret the visuals, too. It’s like an intern, without the awkwardness.

Another thing you can use it for is when you are curious about something. You can try it like a quick Q&A approach.

• “Explain cryptocurrency to me like I’m a fifth grader.”
  
  
  
• “Give me a one-paragraph breakdown of Roth vs. traditional IRAs.”
  
  
  
• “Help me understand how compound interest actually works— and use it in plain English please.”

These are great for money topics, but some of us have only heard the terms but never really read the full manual. It’s a way to get smarter faster without having to take all the courses and do all the things. 

Once you’ve played around a little, you can start using some “level-up” prompts—which is just a fancy way of saying: give it clearer instructions.

So you can do something like:

• “Rewrite this paragraph to sound more confident.”
  
  
  
• “Give me five email subject lines that don’t sound spammy.”
  
  
  
• “Here is a text I got from a friend. Help me come up with a few responses to say I won’t be able to go to her party next weekend.”

It’s also a great companion for brainstorming or doing research that I would click on a whole bunch of links for:

• What are the best travel deals to New York in October?
  
  
  
• Give me five ideas on how to speak up in a meeting to share this really cool idea? 
  
  
  
• Help me make a monthly budget and ask me questions to see where I might have hidden expenses and potential savings. 
  
  

It won’t give you your voice, but it will give you a buffet of starting points.

Need help with a decision? Try something like:

“Give me the pros and cons of renting versus buying in the next six months in these zip codes”
 or
 “What are three things to consider before changing my LinkedIn profile?”

You still make the call. AI just helps you think it through—faster, and maybe with a few fresh ideas.

But it’s not a magic wand. It’s a first-draft tool.

Always review what it gives you back. It's not your editor, your therapist, or your grandma. You bring the discernment, it brings the speed.

So another example I’ll share is this: my teenage son now uses AI to grade his essays (grade them, not write them)—he’ll put it in and ask it to pretend it’s his teacher and give feedback on what the grade might be.

He’s somehow way more open to the AI’s edits and suggestions than mine. So, I guess that’s a bonus as well?

And just because AI can help doesn’t mean you should hand everything off. You still own the ideas, the voice,the choices and the relationships.

Use your judgment, and trust yourself. 

One more thing: letting AI help isn’t cheating. It’s choosing efficiency over exhaustion.

We’ve been conditioned to think that doing it all makes us worthy. But what if doing fewer things—better—makes us wise?

Psychologists call this the “help paradox”—we feel guilty asking for help, even when it would benefit everyone involved. There’s often a perceived social cost to even admitting we need support.

Here’s what’s interesting: AI takes the emotional edge off. No fear of judgment over your typos. No feeling of a favor owed.

You get to experiment with asking for help—without getting any of the shame spiral on the other side.

By the way, I still find myself saying please and thank you to AI. Some habits? I don’t wanna break ‘em.

Hopefully something in this episode gave you an idea that you might want to try. Even a little experimenting with AI might uncover just how much invisible weight you’ve gotten used to carrying.

And if you’re still a little wary, just remember this: Sarah Connor didn’t trust robots either. But not all tech is the Terminator.

AI isn’t here to save the world—but it can help you reclaim a few minutes of your world.

So go ahead. Try a shortcut—with a little help from your new tech sidekick.

And just in case this all does end in robot world domination... Let me just say this now:

Praise Robots.
You’ve heard it here first.