How I use ChatGPT to make my life better
From pimple popping to workout plans to time blocking tasks, all the ways I use AI as a published author who's not afraid.
Welcome to the Friday Ritual note on Hand Wash Only. Today we’re talking about AI, why I love it (even as a published author), why I don’t believe it’s the end of the creative landscape, and all the ways I use it to make life easier. Plus, all the things I don’t use it for. Feel free to save, share, and “heart” this post. You may need to open this email in a separate browser, it’s a long one.
First things first: I am not an AI alarmist.
I’ve noticed a lot of ChatGPT skepticism on Substack Notes, where people wax poetic about life before tech while writing on a platform that already uses it. Nostalgia for pre-AI days makes us tingle with comfy-fuzzies, but the truth is: it’s here, and it’s not going anywhere.
The sooner we accept this fact, the faster we can use it to make life better. I know a lot of people worry about AI taking jobs, but I believe the people who adopt it early will be the ones who protect themselves. The smartest people adopt technology early; I’ve seen this firsthand in my career amongst my peers.
Think about when the internet first arrived and every company was told to get a website. Lots of people resisted it. Sure, there are exceptions, like that local rug store that’s been around since the 70s and still stands today without a web presence or email address. But once that owner retires, if no one updates the business with modern tools, it usually struggles to survive.
I don’t mean to sound curt, but resisting tech doesn’t make us noble (I tried that), it just cuts us off (take it from a girl who left IG and felt the isolation).
I embraced ChatGPT over two years ago, and am now a happily paid, $20/a month user. I’m very grateful for all the ways it enriches my daily life. It really is a fabulous tool that is changing the way we learn and how fast we can get things done. For all the ChatGPT slander out there, I thought I’d bring some positivity to the conversation.
It can’t solve all my problems, but with consistent use, I’ve found it to be one of the best tools across multiple aspects of my life, including my health journey, learning about beauty, the kitchen, my business, mindset, introspection, support, and daily life and organization. Here is my non-exhaustive list of all the ways I use ChatGPT.
Health, fitness, & beauty
At-home laser hair removal: I recently purchased the Braun IPL for at-home hair removal to get wedding-ready. I was terrified of messing up or hurting myself, and couldn’t find any good videos on how to use it. The included instruction pamphlet was too vague; I needed someone to hold my hand throughout the whole process, and ChatGPT guided me, step by step. Four weeks in, I feel like a pro.
Color analysis: Used it to figure out my color season, which some people pay $350 for. I’m a soft summer. It only validated why I’m so drawn to muted tones. I don’t view color analysis as a “Oh no, I can’t wear red!”; rather, it’s more of a “What shade of red should I go for?” ChatGPT even made this palette, which I have saved everywhere for inspiration.
Product recs: When buying makeup or leggings online, I run the product/color swatches through ChatGPT to help select my best shade, like I used for this r.e.m. Dreamglow Highlight Serum in Quartz and the perfect pink r.e.m. glossy balm which I wore on my entire book tour. They both look fabulous on my skin; I was shocked by how accurate ChatGPT was.
Taking note when certain foods make me feel weird. This helps me tune into my body.
Cycle support: Syncing workouts with different phases for better energy, recovery, mood.
Learning more about foods and their benefits: I’ve researched foods like kefir, moro beans (a type of black bean from Rancho Gordo), nettle tea, different types of brown rice, etc.
Identifying pimple types! I broke out on my cheek during book launch season and it was driving me crazy. Thankfully, it’s settled down (for now)
Weekly workout routine/fitness coach: When I was running races regularly, I’d use ChatGPT as my running coach to log miles, ideate goal times, and help with cross-training to stay injury-free. ChatGPT was so good for this. Training for a half-marathon is a mathematical equation, and Chat knows that. Now, I use it weekly to plan my workouts. I find ChatGPT to be an incredible tool for staying in shape; it compounds information and knows my body well. For instance, if you have a weak wrist (like me), it’ll remember and adjust your routines accordingly. Of course if I get seriously injured, I see a P/T, but I’ve loved using ChatGPT for general fitness. I feel like it’s my little pal. It can hype you up, remind you to rest, get you out of ruts, remind you how good you’ll feel after, etc.
I always list out what kinds of workouts I want to do and areas of the body I want to target. Chat always delivers! If you’re new to strength training, Chat can also put together a beginner’s guide to get you up to speed.
Kitchen & Cooking
Support around the kitchen: For instance, I found a Zojirushi rice cooker on a Brooklyn stoop without its special measuring cup, so in the beginning, I relied on AI to show me the correct water/rice ratio. Now I trust myself.
Researching the best way to store produce: Should I use those plastic bins, silicone bags, or mesh cotton? (I still think Swag bags are the GOAT.)
Appliance help: When we first moved in, our freezer was not cold enough and our ice cream was melting. I sent a photo of the freezer and listed the make+model to Chat, and now, most importantly, our ice cream is cold.
Recipe substitutions: Just because you are out of an ingredient does not mean you cannot make the dish. ChatGPT is a great resource for finding subs. If anything, it makes you more confident in the kitchen.
On the way to the fishmonger one morning this summer. Was worried they wouldn’t have sea bass Inspiration for meals: this week was unexpectedly hot and I had cilantro on its last leg. What’s a girl to do with so much? I ended up making a cilantro-muddled lemonade, but I loved all these ideas:
Business & Work
Organizing ideas and laying out next steps: Helped me organize my book launch party, from pitching partners (thank you Zero Proof!) to selecting a venue.
Making small-to-midsize decisions: I recently bought a 24” desktop Mac and was stuck between models. I told Chat what I needed, it laid out the pros and cons, and in the process, I realized what I actually wanted and landed on a decision. I use it to cut through indecision and break big tasks into manageable steps.
Business coaching: To work with Chat for your business, you’ve got to know your own brand voice, values, and purpose. This takes time and a lot of thought. Try this prompt I came up with if you’re looking to start defining: How do I want my readers to feel when they interact with my work? What do I care about? What are my strengths? What are my beliefs? What are my weaknesses? What can I uniquely bring to the table? What do I keep circling back to, time and time again? I’m clear on mine, and Chat knows my answers. From there, I use it to help strategize small business decisions and see the larger picture when I’m feeling lost in the sauce. Eyes on the prize.
Set time blocks. This one is huge. I feel overwhelmed easily when there’s a lot to do, and I love asking ChatGPT to map out my day, hour by hour. It’s a time-block pro. In the morning I’ll note the current time, list my tasks from highest to lowest priority, and let it build the schedule for me.
Self-reflection & Introspection
Helps me:
Set and uphold personal boundaries (accountability)
Reframe anxious thoughts
Understand emotional patterns and triggers
Name the feeling
I always ask ChatGPT to explain the other side so it’s not biased.
Human Design reading. I’ve reconnected with my love of human design. It can go deep. When I feel like it, I’ll use it as an HD coach to remind me of my role and themes. Here’s my profile in a nutshell:
Daily life & Organization
Reselling items: Helps me write descriptions and set pricings for listings on FB Marketplace and other secondhand sites.
Sending mail: Needed to send a wedding present to my cousin on the Upper West Side, wasn’t sure if I should FedEx, UPS, or use a courier service. ChatGPT helped me realize a courier was fastest, cheapest, and used the least packaging.
Explore my interests: I’m obsessed with The Nutcracker Ballet, and love asking questions to deepen my knowledge on its production: when do try-outs begin? Who designed the costumes? How many months of prep does it take each year? How do they store the growing tree?
Packing for trips: I screenshot the weather for the length of my trip, tell Chat what my plans are, and it’ll give me a full packing list (I never forget anything anymore.)
Digital protection: got a suspicious email from a credit card I never signed up for, ran it through Chat, figured out who to email at the company for safety assurance
Deep clean greasy cabinets: There was a consistently greasy smell in our kitchen when we first moved in and no matter how much I cleaned, the smell lingered. I used Chat to make a DIY de-greasing concoction and spent two hours deep cleaning the entire kitchen (including the top of the cabinets). The grease smell is gone.
LIGHT wedding planning: I’m grateful to have my mother and we will hire a wedding planner at some point, but it’s been helpful working out questions around guest list, date conflicts, questions to ask the vendors, planning timeline, etc.! There are SO many things to juggle and think about when it comes to this special day, I can use all the support I can get!
Interesting little fact Quickly identifying: Birds, helicopters, things in the sky.
Little mantras, this was a good one and just what I needed at the time:
Mantra vibes baby Book tour outfits: my cousin is in PR and I remember she told me whites don’t work well on camera so I brushed my memory before going on TV:
While I love ChatGPT, I’ve also used it long enough to know some of its shortcomings.
Things ChatGPT is NOT good at:
It doesn’t have a perfect memory and you may have to remind it of things
Writing: newsletters, captions, books, reel text overlays. You need to use your own voice. Chat will never replace that.
Keeping up with local news, trends, and stories, it’s like a year behind.
Being 100% correct, it’s more like 85% correct. The more you use it the more you’ll spot inconsistencies, so always fact-check for important stuff. Use your judgment here.
Making major life decisions. If you’re asking Chat if you should leave your job, it’s probably best to seek a little IRL support. What Chat can do is help with the day-to-day mindset and map out actionable next steps while you sort it through. At the end of the day, you’ve still got to trust your intuition.
I hope you find this list helpful. My goal with it is to open up our eyes to all the ways ChatGPT can help us. Because really, we could all use a hand.
If you use ChatGPT in a way you think I’d like, please let me know in the comments.
