Feeling fried by AI? You're not alone ..

We’d just arrived at our new home and were ready to unpack the van. First job: assemble some shelves in the downstairs laundry room. Easy enough. We’ve done this kind of thing dozens of times.

Except it was hot. Over 40°C (104°F) and muggy. It was the kind of heat that makes even thinking feel like wading through molasses in a Canadian January. There wasn't a dry patch anywhere on my husband's shirt. I'm not going to tell you what my shirt looked like. Ladies don't sweat, right? We perspire.

Still, we pushed on. Halfway through the first shelf, we realised the supports were upside down. Sigh. Took it apart, fixed it… upside down again.

No matter how carefully I reminded myself which way things went, my brain refused to cooperate. Everything was backwards, inside out, or both.

Turns out that kind of heat doesn’t just make you uncomfortable, it literally impairs your ability to think clearly. Which got me wondering: How often do we do the same thing mentally when the “heat” comes from constant change ... like what’s happening right now with AI?

Is AI Making You Sweat?

The AI revolution in our industry can feel a bit like working in that laundry room. We’re sweating under pressure to “keep up,” making mistakes we normally wouldn’t, and doubting whether our brains are even wired for what’s next.

But here’s the thing: confusion doesn’t mean incapacity. It’s just a signal that the environment’s changed faster than we’ve adapted.

That’s exactly what Ed Gandia uncovered in his latest survey of freelance writers. In Episode 382 of his podcast, he shares that most freelancers are still figuring out how to use AI tools ... not whether they should. Many are curious but cautious. Some are experimenting. A few are already seeing major productivity gains.

The gap isn’t talent. It’s temperature. The writers who stay calm enough to experiment are the ones learning what works while others melt down.

Okay, enough of the cheesy cliche stuff.

So how DO you stay cool when it comes to adapting to the changing minefield that is AI?

Start with small, structured experiments.

Last month, I created a free tool specifically for myself and for you ... one that is already saving me tons of time. I've called it the Freelance Writers Online Pitch Research Assistant GPT.  And I'm hoping it will save you a ton of time, too.

What does it do? It provides a safe, guided space to help you find publications to pitch your story/article ideas to. The great thing is that this custom-built GPT will help take some of the frustration out of what is arguably one of the most time sucking activities writers have to do. It certainly has for me, anyway.

And if you think it’s helpful, but would rather build your own custom Pitch Research Assistant GPT, let me know.  I’m currently putting together a few GPT templates for purchase so people can create their own AI tools.

Sponsor Spotlight

This issue is powered by the Freelance Writers Online: Pitch Research Assistant.GPT — helping freelance writers find the right publications to pitch without spending tons of time on the process.

Time To Take Action

Take a few minutes this week to listen to Ed Gandia’s survey insights. Then try one focused experiment inside the Freelance Writers Online: Pitch Research Assistant. And if it doesn't work the way you need it to, let me know and I'll keep refining it.

And that's it for this week.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Trudy (and Treasa)

PS: You may (or may not) have noticed that we've not been in your inbox over the last few weeks. This has been (mostly) deliberate. Firstly, because I've moved from one end of Australia to the other and Treasa's been dealing with an illness in the family. And secondly we both wanted some time out to think about how we can serve you better with our newsletters and what we offer.

I'll be sharing more about our thoughts on that ... but in the meantime, if you have a specific topic, skill or theme you'd like us to focus on more, hit "reply" and let us know. This is your opportunity to determine what kind of content is hitting your inbox.

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