Unpopular Opinion: Stop Automating Your Brain First

We’ve been told to “automate everything,” and for good reason—AI tools can save hours, reduce drudgery, and make us look like productivity wizards. But here’s the unpopular truth I’ve learned after years of teaching tech to overwhelmed professionals: the first thing most people reach for when they start automating is their own brain. They offload thinking, decision-making, and creative judgment to a chatbot or workflow before they’ve even automated the boring, repetitive tasks that actually steal their time. And that’s a mistake that costs far more than it saves.

Think about it. When you automate your thinking first—say, by letting AI draft your emails, summarize your meetings, or generate your to-do lists—you’re outsourcing the very skill that makes you irreplaceable: your ability to reason, prioritize, and connect dots in ways no algorithm can. Yes, it feels efficient in the moment. But you’re also training your brain to take the back seat, and over time, that muscle atrophies. The real magic of automation isn’t about skipping the hard mental work; it’s about clearing away the noise so you can do that work better. So before you hand your critical thinking to a bot, ask yourself: Am I automating a chore, or am I automating a choice?

Here’s what I recommend instead. Start by mapping out your day and identifying the tasks that are truly mindless—the ones you could do on autopilot with your eyes half-closed. That’s your low-hanging fruit. Think data entry, file renaming, calendar scheduling, or even copying and pasting information between apps. These tasks don’t require your unique perspective; they just require your time. Automate those first. Use a simple no-code tool like Zapier or a built-in macro in your spreadsheet. Once you’ve reclaimed that time, you can pour it into the high-value thinking that only you can do: strategy, creative problem-solving, relationship-building, or learning a new skill.

The irony is that many of us skip this step because automating the “boring stuff” feels less exciting than playing with the latest AI writing assistant. But I’ve seen students triple their output not by using ChatGPT to write their reports, but by setting up a simple automation that pulls data from a form into a dashboard—freeing up two hours a week to actually analyze that data. That’s the difference between being a user of automation and being a master of it. You don’t need to become a developer; you just need to shift your focus from “what can I offload from my brain?” to “what can I offload from my hands?”

Now, I’m not saying you should never use AI for cognitive tasks. Absolutely do—when it’s appropriate. But make it a deliberate choice, not a default reflex. Let your brain be the architect of your workflow, not the first thing you outsource. Train yourself to ask: Is this task better done by a machine, or is it better done by me, with a machine as my assistant? The most productive people I know use automation to remove friction, not to remove thinking. They keep the cognitive load for what matters—decisions, nuance, and creativity—and let the robots handle the repetitive grunt work that clogs up their calendar.

So here’s my challenge to you: this week, pick one small, repetitive task you do every day—something that requires zero brainpower—and automate it. Don’t touch any AI writing or thinking tool until that’s done. See how it changes your focus. Then come back and tell me what you noticed. I’d love to hear your experience—drop a comment below or tag me on social media with your biggest “aha” moment. Let’s stop automating our brains first, and start automating the stuff that’s been holding them back.

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