What Using ChatGPT Looks Like in Your Practical, Messy Life
New focus, same me, with a little AI grit in the mix
I’ve been sitting with this for a while, and I think it’s time to make it official: I’m rebranding this space. Involved Leadership was where I started writing here on Substack. I dug into bullying, gaslighting, coffee pot leadership, culture, decision-making, and they all still matter to me. That work is not going anywhere. You’ll still see more of it.
But the tool that’s made the biggest difference in how I work, think, and stay organized is AI. Not in the “optimize your grindset” way. And not in the “robots are coming for your job” way either.
I mean real, everyday, useful AI.
The kind that helps you fix your dying fridge or figure out how to deal with your neighbor’s overgrown yard that’s dumping ivy into your corner lot.
The kind that walks you through how to unlock a new microwave while you experiment with recipes.
One that helps you talk through ideas until you get clarity. That makes you feel excited about learning again. Not because you have to memorize every detail, but because you can quickly find what you need and discover better ways of doing things that actually work with your brain.
And in my situation, my ADHD brain, which has more ideas than I can ever follow through on. AI and ChatGPT help me organize those to get more accomplished. I’m able to learn more than I've ever been able to in the past.
I’ve got a PhD and more useless knowledge under my belt than I know what to do with. But this tool allows me to go deeper, further, wider. And I'm excited about it.
We are inundated with AI on Substack, LinkedIn, and other platforms. But out in the real world, a lot of people barely know it even exists, even if their companies or organizations are using it. My brother works in a plastics factory, and I've been trying to get him to use ChatGPT, and so far, he has been reluctant.
I think it's because he's probably a little intimidated by it. He's not really big on technology. He's more a hands-on, do-it-yourself kind of guy.
He's heard of it, though. His friends use it. One built a business plan, and another guy is using it to help him with his writing.
Siblings but not the same
I think he sees it more as an intellectual tool, not something he could benefit from. He made fun of me when I shared how I used it to help me create recipes. He couldn’t believe I needed a robot to tell me how to make sloppy joes—just ketchup, mustard, green peppers, and some brown sugar, right? I confirmed that I did need a robot to tell me how to do it because I can’t cook, obviously.
Then I explained I used it to help me fix my refrigerator. I actually sent him a picture of the part and asked if he knew what it was. To my shock and surprise, he did not. When I told him it was an evaporator fan, and how ChatGPT helped me figure out it needed to be replaced, his little ears perked right up. That it took me 10 minutes to replace it, and now my fridge is working like a champ.
He was like, "Really?"
I stressed how there’s so much you can do with this, and that as a do-it-yourself kind of guy who’s always looking up stuff online, he might actually find it really interesting. I’ve learned with my brother that getting him to try new things is a slow process. So I’m bread crumbing him, hoping that eventually he will be willing to try it.
This is not theoretical
The reason I’m sharing this story is because it reflects what I want to focus on. I want to help people who don’t know how to use this tool or who assume it’s not meant for them learn how to work with it. I’m especially drawn to working with high school and college students since I have a background in higher education, advising and teaching those exact groups.
Right now, that’s where I feel pulled to go.
It hasn’t been an easy decision. I’ve been writing in the leadership space for a while, and I truly enjoy it. But I keep coming back to this. I want to help people use AI, particularly ChatGPT, because it’s had such a powerful impact on my own life. There’s a lot of anxiety and confusion around it, and I genuinely believe that if we don’t start showing students how to work with it responsibly or at least give them some basic guardrails, we’re going to see real consequences.
So I can at least do my part in that.
Not your average robot
Last night, I spent a good chunk of my time creating a custom GPT, which blew my mind. I'm going to link it below if you want to check it out. This one I created for college students trying to figure out what major they might want to pursue a career in.
I kind of threw it together. It was the first one I did, and I want to tweak it more. Just to give you a sense of the kinds of conversations you can have with ChatGPT, this offers a glimpse of what’s possible.
So yeah, this space is shifting. New name. New look. Same voice. Still no hype.
If you’re here for leadership writing, it’s not going away. But going forward, the focus here is going to be on using AI from a normal-human, everyday-life perspective.
Because most people don’t need a new mindset. They need a working fridge with a little AI grit and some know-how.
So if you want to learn how to use ChatGPT for everyday practical stuff, stay tuned. Just like I gave you the no-fluff truth about leadership, I’m going to do the same with AI.
Curious?
Click the image below to try out the custom GPT I built. See what it can do ⤵
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This is a fantastic idea - really leans into your skills. Hope it goes well :)
This is interesting. I’m particularly excited to see how you mould this to include people with atypical tendencies