One Question:

What if your first move in solving a problem, planning a task, or tackling a routine challenge was… asking AI?

One Idea:

There’s a saying in psychology known as Maslow’s Law of Instrument.

“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

Well, in today’s world of work, AI is the new hammer.

And honestly? We should be using it on everything.

Not because it always has the perfect answer.
Not because it’s always right.
But because it gets us started, opens new possibilities, and helps us think faster and bigger.

The truth is, AI doesn’t come with a manual. Its capabilities are evolving, unpredictable, and, as Ethan Mollick and colleagues describe, a “jagged frontier”. Strong in some areas, shaky in others.

But the more we experiment, play, and test it, the more we understand where it shines and where it stumbles and that’s how we become more effective, more confident users.

From decision-making and brainstorming to drafting, refining, analysing, and planning, the question is no longer “Can AI help me with this?” but “What happens when I ask it to?”

One Quote:

“If AI is a hammer, treat everything like it is a nail.” – Trudy Graham’s twist on Maslow’s Law of Instrument

One Example:

I’m travelling to Japan next week. I started to dream about reading novels that would help me understand and appreciate the culture, history and geography.

I was about to search Google for recommendations. Then I wondered what ChatGPT would give me.

I prompted it for book recommendations. Then uploading my itinerary, I asked it for a short list to match the places I was visiting. Suggesting it consider my listening time en route and while travelling I asked it to create a reading plan matching the books to the locations.

After checking availability on Audible, I asked it to swap out a book I cannot access and put in an alternative.

The result: 6 books loaded in my Audible account ready to go with a rationale from the AI explaining why it’s a good fit for that leg of my tour.

One Small Action:

Choose a task, any task you would normally do solo. Before you begin, ask AI for input.

Try this prompt:
“I’m working on [task or challenge]. What are some ways to approach it or get started?”

Then tweak. Question. Refine. Learn.
Let AI become your thinking partner, not just your assistant.