Hey Everyone - Late happy new year! I wanted to start this year off with some real thought provoking topics.

Let’s dive in.

As AI becomes woven into almost everything we do, a quieter question starts to matter more than which tools we use.

What do you not want to give up to AI?

This is not a question about efficiency. It is a question about identity.

Most conversations about AI focus on what it can do better than us. Write faster. Analyze more data. Generate endless options. But the more interesting signal comes from the opposite direction. The things you resist automating tell you what you value, how you think, and where your leverage actually lives.

For me, there are a few clear lines.

I struggle to use AI for personal connection. Writing messages to friends. Reaching out to collaborators. Saying something that actually matters. Even if AI could do it passably well, I do not want it to. The friction is the point. The effort signals care. Removing that effort changes the meaning.

I also enjoy the early, messy stages of thinking. Brainstorming. Researching. Organizing notes. AI can help here, but I prefer to stay close to the raw material. This is where ideas collide. This is where intuition forms. Outsourcing this too early feels like skipping the part where understanding is built.

What I do happily give up are the things that come after. Polishing. Formatting. Rewriting. Turning rough ideas into clean artifacts. AI is excellent at that. It accelerates execution without replacing the thinking that matters to me.

This boundary is different for everyone. Some people love writing but hate organizing. Others enjoy teaching but not researching. There is no correct answer. But there is information in your answer.

If you map the things you resist automating, you get a surprisingly clear picture of your values. You also get a hint about where you should focus your time. These are the activities where you are most human. They are also often the hardest to replace.

In a post AI world, the goal is not to do everything yourself. It is to be intentional about what you keep. When intelligence is abundant, meaning comes from choice.

Pay attention to the things you do not want to give up. They are pointing you toward who you are becoming.

Since it is the new year, I figured it would be appropriate to talk about my goals.

If you’re new here, it is a common trope in my content to talk about the papaya farm that I want to own, but is this real or a joke?

It is very real.

My goal this year is to make enough money from my side businesses to put a down payment on said farm, roughly $50,000.

Why a farm?

The first reason a farm is compelling to me is because of the direction I believe AI will go. To me, a farm is the ultimate hedge. We are already seeing AI images and video make trusting anything online almost impossible. In a world where we do not trust what we see online, in-person connection becomes a premium. I plan to use the farm as an event space to host retreats and in-person community events.

I do have an even more extreme take, though…

If AI were to completely disrupt our way of life, I believe there are three basic human needs that will always remain. Food and water, shelter, and community. In theory, a farm covers all three.

On a lighter note, a farm also aligns with the lifestyle I want to create. The ideal version of life for me involves growing my own food and living in a tight-knit community with close friends and family.

Papayas are just a bonus.

Things I Learned

Content I Made

While there are plenty of technical skills worth learning, this week’s survival skill is much simpler: Learning how to host people well.

If the world becomes more digital, more automated, and more fragmented, the people who know how to bring others together will quietly become indispensable.

Hosting does not mean throwing elaborate parties. It means creating an environment where people feel comfortable showing up. Clear invitations. Good food. Enough seating. Music that does not dominate the room. Small details that signal thoughtfulness.

This is a skill you can practice anywhere. Invite a few friends over for dinner. Host a small meetup. Organize a walk, a workout, or a conversation around a table. You do not need a farm to start.

Over time, hosting compounds. People trust you. They introduce you to others. Communities form naturally around places where they feel welcome. That is true now, and it will be even more true in a world where online connection becomes harder to trust.

If AI changes how we work, hosting changes how we live together.

Learn to host.