Good morning, everybody—

It’s been a couple of weeks of a lot. The new house, the move, the old house getting ready for listing—it’s been full-on. But things are starting to settle. We’ve been in the new place for a week, and yes… we finally put up toilet paper holders. Progress.

One highlight? For the first time in about eight years, I have a dedicated office. Actual setup. Which means: expect better quality Zooms and more content coming soon.

Now for a small teaser:

I’m relaunching a full group coaching program—monthly live calls, two in-person events each year (yes, in Princeton), and a chance to go deep on everything Less Doing. More details coming soon, but if that piques your interest, stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’m speaking in an upcoming free webinar hosted by Carbon App all about how coaches can integrate asynchronous communication into their businesses. If you’re a coach—or know one—here’s the link to register.

Why I Don’t Let AI Manage My Email

AI is great. I use it constantly. But I draw a hard line at AI-powered inbox management—and I want to explain why.

There are tools out there (Serif is a decent one) that auto-draft responses based on your writing style. Sounds helpful… but it misses the point.

Email isn’t a communication problem.

It’s a decision-making problem.

Your inbox is the most concentrated decision-making arena in your day. Most people are good for about 24 meaningful decisions per day—and they burn through them before lunch. Email? It’s like a public suggestion box people can drop into freely… and most of us let them.

Adding an AI layer doesn’t help. It detaches you from the process, introduces more uncertainty (“Did it reply right?” “Did I miss something?”), and increases anxiety. The real goal isn’t Inbox Zero—it’s being able to confidently triage what matters, right now.

The 3 D’s still apply:

• Delete – Say no.
• Deal With – Yes, do it now.
• Defer – Yes, later. But set the time and place.

AI can do many things. But giving it your decision-making authority? That’s not optimization. That’s avoidance.

Bonus: ChatGPT… Kitchen Designer?

Yes, seriously. I used ChatGPT to plan how to organize our new kitchen.

I uploaded photos of the cabinets and got a layout recommendation: dry goods here, snacks there, beverages in this zone. Logical, fast, and surprisingly effective. We knocked out the whole setup in one afternoon. Sometimes the best tool is just the one that gives you momentum.

As always, I’d love to hear from you—questions, ideas, or just to say hi: www.talktoari.com

Make it an effective day,

P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 4 ways I can help you optimize and grow your business:

Grab a copy of my books

• Less Doing, More Living: It’s the roadmap to optimizing your life and business. — Click Here
• On Productivity: Learn the strategies to become more productive and efficient. — Click Here

Join the Less Doing Lab

• Connect with like-minded individuals and get access to my weekly broadcasts where I share the latest tips, experiences, and stories completely FREE. — Join Now

Take my Courses

• Overwhelmology: Learn how to manage overwhelm and increase productivity. — Enroll Here
• The Replaceable Founder: Discover how to build a business that thrives without you. — Enroll Here

Work with me and my team privately

• If you’d like personalized guidance to take your business to the next level, join the Outliers, my 1:1 coaching program delivered exclusively on Carbon Voice. Just reply to this email with the word “Private,” tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details.