How To Actually Use AI: A Simple System You Can Start This Week

Turn curiosity into momentum with one simple habit.

I’ve been using AI tools like ChatGPT basically every day for the last couple of years. I use them for real work, research, brainstorming, learning new skills, breaking down concepts, and just exploring ideas that I normally wouldn’t have time to dive into.

When I show people how I use it, the most common reaction is something like:

I would never have thought to have a conversation like that.

Most people use AI like Google with better manners. One question, one answer, done. The real value (for me) comes from having a real conversation. Going back and forth, asking follow-up questions, pressing on things that don’t make sense, going deeper.

Recently I was trying to explain this to my sister and came up with a simple system she (or anyone) could use to build a habit around learning with AI. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this could be a great structure for anyone who wants to learn faster and share what they’re learning along the way.

Here we go!

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The 30/30 Method

Here’s the super simple process to get you going:

1. Create a Substack account. It is free and takes about ten minutes.

2. Get a paid AI account. ChatGPT Plus, Claude, or Perplexity. Whichever one you like. They are all around $20 a month.

3. Put a one hour block on your calendar every three days if you want to go fast. Once a week if you want to go slow.

4. In that hour, spend 30 minutes learning something with AI and 30 minutes writing a short post about what you learned.

The reason I suggest paying for an AI account is simple. If you want real conversations, better reasoning, and deeper explanations, the paid models are noticeably better. It is the difference between a quick answer and an actual thinking partner.

If 20 dollars a month feels like a lot, look at what you already pay for. Most of us spend at least that on streaming. Trade one month of Netflix for one month of this and see which one actually changes how you think.

Once you have Substack set up and an AI tool ready to go, each session comes down to a single question:

What do I want to learn today?

Pick something interesting and small enough to explore in one sitting.

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Step 1: Pick a Topic

Aim for something specific and answerable in one session.

Examples:

• What actually causes sourdough starter to ferment

• Why high altitude influences acidity in wine

• How to write unit tests in Python for a REST API

• Why the Hunter Valley produces low alcohol Semillon

Vague topics lead to shallow conversations. Specific questions lead to depth.

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Step 2: Have a Real Conversation With AI

This is the part most people skip. Don’t ask one question and stop. Treat it like a back-and-forth.

Useful things to say:

• Walk me through this step by step

• Challenge what I think I know about this

• What am I not considering

• Explain it from the perspective of a winemaker / engineer / hiring manager

• Let’s go deeper on that

You’re not trying to generate output. You’re trying to learn.

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Step 3: Turn the Conversation Into a Post

At the end of the session, ask ChatGPT something like:

I’m writing a newsletter that documents what I’m learning using AI. Help turn this conversation into a clean outline for a post that sounds like me and focuses on what I learned. Keep it short.

Then you edit it into your voice.

Most of the post should not be “chatbot text.” It should be your takeaways, what surprised you, what changed your thinking.

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Step 4: Publish and Share

Put it on your Substack and share on LinkedIn (or whatever other social media platform you think makes sense - down the road, you might start asking ChatGPT about how to better share this learning…).

You’re not doing this to build an audience. You’re doing it because writing forces clarity.

It also builds a public track record of learning new things, which is a useful signal whether you’re interviewing, changing roles, building a portfolio, or just trying to grow.

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Why This Works

People think AI is about getting answers faster. Maybe. But I think the real unlock is learning faster.

This system helps you practice a few things at once:

• Asking better questions

• Learning deeply and quickly

• Packaging ideas

• Communicating what you learned

• Building a portfolio of curiosity

Most people say I use AI, but they can’t show anything. This creates proof.

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A Simple Prompt to Start

You can paste this at the start of any session:

I want to explore a topic deeply and then turn what I learn into a post. Ask me questions, push my thinking, and keep this conversational. Do not lecture. Treat this like we’re thinking together.

It will probably write something back like:

That’s awesome, I am here to help, what do you want to talk about?

Boom, we’re gold.

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Ok, Your Turn

If you made it this far, you’re already curious enough to try this. Grab a topic. Open ChatGPT. Ask your first question. Then ask five more.

In an hour, you’ll have a post. You’ll also have a new skill. And a new story to tell the next time someone asks, How do you use AI?

Let’s get started.