Use AI to Think Better, Not Just Faster

From prompts to principles

Author

Justin Glover
August 19, 2025

Today’s Perspective Shift

From: AI as a speed hack
To: AI as a clarity amplifier

Theme for the Quarter: Tools With Soul
Theme for the Week: The Decentralized Mind

Quote of the Week:
“Do not outsource your intelligence. Train it.”

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✨ In Today’s Episode:

  • Why speed isn’t the same as clarity

  • A founder’s trap: chasing shortcuts over structure

  • The First Principles Framework for AI thinking

Use AI to Think Better, Not Just Faster

From prompts to principles

🧠 ONE Smart Idea

Most founders treat AI like a faster intern: “Just give me an answer, quick.”
The problem? Speed without structure multiplies confusion.

If you want real leverage, you must use AI to sharpen your thinking, not just to automate your typing.

📖 Story Spark

I once coached a founder who proudly said:
“ChatGPT writes all my emails now. It saves me hours!”

I asked: “Do they land better?”
He hesitated.
“Not really. Honestly, my team says they’re more confusing.”

That’s the catch. Speed ≠ clarity.
If your input is messy, your output is just faster mess.

⚙️ Tactical Application: The First Principles Promt

Before asking AI to generate, force it to think with you. Try this:

  1. Strip the Problem – Ask: “What’s the core question I’m really solving?”

  2. Layer Assumptions – Have AI list hidden assumptions behind your request.

  3. Check Logic – Say: “Challenge this reasoning from 3 angles.”

  4. Then Generate – Only after clarity do you ask for drafts, options, or outputs.

💡 Think of it as: Clarify → Challenge → Create.

🔦 Tool Spotlight: ChatGPT + Chain of Thought Prompting

Instead of “Write me a sales email,” try:

“First, break down the logical flow of what makes a sales email persuasive. Then, generate three drafts using that structure.”

Suddenly, you’re not getting filler. You’re training AI to mirror your thinking.

🧭 Intelligent Elevation

This isn’t just a prompt trick.
It’s about resisting the founder’s trap: outsourcing thinking for speed.

AI should be a thinking partner, not a digital vending machine.
The sharper your structure, the smarter your AI becomes.

💬 Closing Insight

Founders win not by thinking faster, but by thinking clearer.
AI can’t give you clarity—you have to teach it.

📜 “Speed is useful only if you are running in the right direction.”

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AiScaleTips is your founder clarity compass.
Most scale with chaos. You scale by design.

— Justin Glover