Let’s be real for a minute: everyone is using ChatGPT wrong. I’m serious. People are relying on it to generate ideas, but the truth is, it’s not great at it. Actually, it’s pretty terrible. ChatGPT, as much as I love it for other things, is not your go-to for idea generation. But don’t worry—there’s a better way to use it, and when you do, it’ll actually enhance your creativity, not stifle it.
What ChatGPT Should Really Be Used For
The magic of ChatGPT isn’t in coming up with new ideas from scratch. No, its real strength lies in helping you organize and refine your original thoughts. The goal isn’t to become a machine for efficiency’s sake. Instead, AI should be a tool that gives us more time and energy to spend on the things that truly matter—like being in nature, spending time with loved ones, and diving into creative pursuits.
Imagine using AI to liberate your creativity, rather than trapping you in a cycle of constant productivity for productivity’s sake. That’s where the real value lies.
A Better Approach: Cultivating Your Own Ideas First
Here’s the thing: if you want to generate meaningful content, start with your own ideas. I have a morning routine that works wonders, especially for my fellow unmedicated ADHD folks looking to tap into their flow states. The key is to get your brain in gear before turning to ChatGPT.
Start by picking a topic you want to explore. Then, open up an app like Otter.ai, pop on some binaural beats, and just talk. Record all your thoughts on that topic—let your mind wander, get messy, and don’t hold back. Once you’ve got a good chunk of raw material, then it’s time to bring in ChatGPT. But don’t ask it to come up with ideas for you—ask it to help you refine and structure your existing thoughts.
When you feed that big, beautiful mess of ideas into a custom GPT, what you get out of it will be far more useful and tailored to your needs than anything it could come up with on its own.
Why ChatGPT Sucks at Idea Generation
Let’s talk about why ChatGPT shits the bed when it comes to generating original ideas. The simple answer? It doesn’t have your voice or wisdom. It’s basically an overeager intern trying to mimic your style but missing the mark. It spits out content that might sound okay on the surface but lacks the depth, the nuance, and the personal touch that makes your content uniquely you.
If you want to use ChatGPT creatively, start by training it on your “voice”. Use it to help define and refine that voice by generating different examples, which you can then evaluate and rule out until you find the perfect fit. Once you’ve established your voice, feed ChatGPT all the content you’ve already created. Then, instead of asking it to come up with new ideas from scratch, let it build on and polish what you already know, ensuring your content stays true to your unique style.
Provide it with your wisdom.
Also, don’t just use it for writing—use it to generate yourself thought-provoking questions during your brainstorming sessions. These questions can lead you down fascinating rabbit holes that you might not have explored otherwise.
AI as a Tool for Creative Liberation
Here’s the bottom line: AI should be a tool for creative liberation, not just another cog in the machine. The goal isn’t to pump out content like a factory—it’s to deepen your ideas, explore your passions, and make art that resonates.
Take my own process, for example. I recently came up with 52 weeks’ worth of newsletter ideas just by talking to myself on Otter.ai, recording my thoughts, and then using ChatGPT to organize and format those ideas into a cohesive plan. It wasn’t about letting the AI do the thinking for me—it was about using it to enhance and refine the ideas I was already passionate about.
This approach frees up more time for what truly matters: being creative, pursuing hobbies, and spending time in the great outdoors. With the right strategy, ChatGPT can help you streamline the stuff that needs to get done, so you have more time for the stuff you actually want to do.
How to Use ChatGPT the Right Way
So, here’s the deal: stop leaning on ChatGPT for idea generation. Instead, use it to transform and structure your raw thoughts into something polished and actionable. Treat it like a paintbrush or a multimedia tool—something that adds dimension to your work, but isn’t the driving force behind it.
Every time you generate content with ChatGPT, go through it line by line. Make sure it says exactly what you mean, in your voice, with your personal touch. AI shouldn’t replace your creativity; it should enhance it.
The goal isn’t to outsource your thinking but to enhance it. Use AI to bring more dimension to your art, not to churn out bland, lifeless content. When used correctly, ChatGPT can help you create with more depth, more passion, and more authenticity.
So, let’s stop using AI to simply produce more. Let’s use it to produce better.
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