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The Rundown

• To Make Better Choices, Understand How Your Brain Processes Values

• I tried a ChatGPT prompt that 'unlocks 4o's full power', and I don't know why I didn't try it sooner

• What is 'cognitive shuffling' and does it really help you get to sleep? Two sleep scientists explain

• I started using NotebookLM with Google Docs and it's been a game changer

• You sound like ChatGPT

• Add this book to your reading list

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🔥Quote/Prompt

Use the quote as a writing or thinking prompt to finish your week strong.

A bit from mine:

(posted in our Doer Entrepreneurs Free Community — off social media)

Did someone forward this to you?

📈 Performance

To Make Better Choices, Understand How Your Brain Processes Values

We often feel like we SHOULD do things (I really should work out more) but then we don't, even though if someone asks us what we value, we might say "health". So what's happening? Why do we spend more time "shoulding" than acting in accordance with the values we say we have? Well, this article sheds light on that.

Key Insights:

1. Your brain heavily weighs self-relevance when making decisions. If something doesn't feel immediately relevant to you, it gets deprioritized. The solution? Make distant rewards feel psychologically closer. For example, vividly imagining your future self spending retirement money makes saving now feel more urgent and personally meaningful.

2. Values affirmation actually changes brain activity, not just mindset. When people reflect on their most important values before receiving health messages, their value and self-relevance brain systems become more active, and they're ultimately less sedentary. Turns out writing about what matters to you has measurable neurological effects.

3. Self-transcendent values work better than self-focused ones for lasting change. Connecting with values like family, friends, or spirituality delivers real health and well-being benefits, while focusing on personal money, fame, and power doesn't provide the same advantages.

Read the full article for specific brain regions involved, research findings on news sharing behavior, and practical strategies for aligning daily choices with long-term goals.

⚙️ Optimization

I tried a ChatGPT prompt that 'unlocks 4o's full power', and I don't know why I didn't try it sooner

I have been using similar prompts for AI from the beginning when I first asked it "I've never used an AI tool, please ask me as many questions as you need to help me figure out how to use you to help me with my work" -- and let me tell you, game changer. This "ask me as many questions" thing is gamechanging. Read the full article for a variation on that.

Key Insights:

1. The power isn't in ChatGPT solving your problem immediately; it's in turning AI into a diagnostic partner that asks targeted follow-up questions. For example, when troubleshooting iPhone battery issues, it asked 18 specific questions about software, usage patterns, and attempted fixes.

2. This approach works because it leverages ChatGPT's context tracking to systematically narrow down root causes. Instead of generic advice, you get personalized troubleshooting based on your specific situation and what you've already tried.

3. The real value comes from using AI to rationalize your own thoughts and find solutions collaboratively. ChatGPT becomes less of an answer machine and more of a skilled interviewer who helps you think through problems methodically.

Read the full article for the author's complete iPhone troubleshooting example and how ChatGPT identified iOS 26 developer beta as the culprit.

⏲️ Time Management

What is 'cognitive shuffling' and does it really help you get to sleep? Two sleep scientists explain

Sleep is one of the biggest time management strategies that exists. When we're sleep-deprived, our productivity tanks: we make more mistakes, have to redo work, and tasks that should feel easy become impossible. As a former insomniac (yep, former, and medication-free), I love sharing science-backed strategies that actually work. I've shared parts of my own sleep stack here, but this cognitive shuffling technique might be worth adding to yours.

Key Insights:

1. The technique works by replacing "insomnolent" thoughts (worrying, planning, ruminating) with "pro-somnolent" ones that mimic how good sleepers naturally think before bed. You pick a word like "cake," then list words starting with C while visualizing each one before moving to the next letter.

2. This method tells your brain you're ready for sleep by mimicking natural sleep transitions. During the shift to sleep, your brain generates disconnected images and fleeting scenes without trying to make sense of them, which is exactly what cognitive shuffling recreates.

3. The key is resisting your mind's tendency toward sense-making. Switch between unrelated targets every 5-15 seconds without trying to connect them. For example, thinking "bicycle" then "buying" then "banana" with no attempt to link these concepts together.

Read the full article for the complete step-by-step process, research findings on arousal reduction, and additional sleep strategies if cognitive shuffling doesn't work for you.

💻 Tools & Technology

I started using NotebookLM with Google Docs and it's been a game changer

Managing multiple Google Docs for a single project feels like trying to juggle while riding a unicycle. You've got research notes in one doc, meeting notes in another, and somehow you're supposed to remember which brilliant idea lives in which document. This author found a solution that actually works.

Key Insights:

1. NotebookLM eliminates the tab nightmare by letting you upload all your Google Docs (and Sheets) as sources in one place. Instead of clicking through dozens of browser tabs, you can ask questions across all your documents simultaneously.

2. The AI features go beyond basic search with tools like interactive mind maps, audio overviews for when you need a screen break, and automatic timeline generation. These aren't gimmicks; they're practical ways to visualize and digest complex project information.

3. Unlike Gemini in Google Docs which costs $20/month and only works on single documents, NotebookLM is free and works across multiple sources. You can ask it to pull information from any uploaded document, making cross-referencing actually enjoyable.

Read the full article for specific examples of using NotebookLM for client projects, additional AI features, and tips for getting started with this tool.

🤖 AI

You sound like ChatGPT

Can we talk about how AI has ruined em dashes for all of us? I used to love them—they were my signature move—but now they're basically a neon sign saying 'ChatGPT wrote this.' Never mind that Word and Google Docs have been auto-creating them for years. Anyway, this article proves I'm not alone in noticing how AI is messing with our writing.

Key Insights:

1. "Delve" has become the linguistic watermark of AI use, increasing dramatically in academic speech. Researchers call it "only the tip of the iceberg" as AI influence spreads to tone, structure, and emotional expression in our communication.

2. We're losing three critical human signals in AI-mediated communication: humanity signals that show vulnerability, attention signals that prove we cared enough to write ourselves, and ability signals that showcase our real personality. It's the difference between "I'm sorry you're upset" and "Hey sorry I freaked at dinner, I probably shouldn't have skipped therapy this week."

3. AI actively flattens non-Standard American English dialects, creating a trust crisis where only face-to-face communication feels authentic. When everyone sounds "correct," we lose the verbal quirks and regional idioms that actually signal we're human.

Read the full article for research on smart reply paradoxes, examples of AI stereotyping dialects, and early signs of people pushing back against linguistic homogenization.

👀 Read, Watch, Listen

This week’s awesome books, YouTube videos, newsletters, etc. to add to your list!

Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You (Book)

Dr. Ali Abdaal challenges conventional wisdom by arguing that joy, not discipline, is the key to productivity. His book reveals that making work enjoyable naturally enhances output. Abdaal introduces three "energizers" that fuel enjoyable productivity, three "blockers" that cause procrastination, and three "sustainers" that prevent burnout and promote fulfillment. Through stories of successful individuals and actionable strategies, he demonstrates how feeling good while working leads to greater accomplishment. The book offers practical changes readers can implement immediately to achieve more while experiencing greater happiness and fulfillment in their work and lives.

🎉 Celebration Corner

Every week Doers Inner Circle members do a weekly review & get help when they need it — check out the progress they made this week!

• I was super productive this week.

• I finished all billable work and invoicing on time.

• I finished setting up my [business] space.

What did you do this week? We feature non-member successes too. Just post them here!

🔒Inner Circle: Events & Announcements

• The Time Profit: ACTION BOOSTER SPRINT* RSVP here
  *2-Week Event Run: From June 23, 2025 until July 7, 2025

• 90-day Planning Bash Raffle Deadline Monday 9 AM PT Finish it here

• Monday: {EU Time} Work ON Business. Theme: 5️⃣ Finances  RSVP here

• Tuesday: Work ON Business. Theme: 5️⃣ Finances RSVP here

• Monday/Friday: Goal Setting + Plan Your Week Party

• Accelerators: July 4 is your Office Hours RSVP here

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Wishing you much productivity!

- Jenae :)