Flowing with Machines
The art of staying human in an increasingly digital world
My Flow with Technology
I grew up in a generation that experienced perhaps the greatest leap in digital technology. We went from handwritten letters to emails. We submitted homework for teachers to grade by hand, to printing entire essays I’d type on my computer. The Internet was already there, but it was dial-up for a long while. We shared a heavy-duty desktop as a family in Singapore when I was entering my teens, and I had my first personal laptop only at university — around the time Facebook was launched and our geeky classmates came around campus offering us Bitcoins. Well, had I known then…!
I was always one of the slower ones to adopt new technology. It took me a while to go from my Nokia to a BlackBerry, and by the time I learned to enjoy typing on its mini keyboard, the iPhone arrived. I only switched later in my career. Even though I was a slow adopter, I learned fast, and I’m pretty intuitive around technology of all kinds. I wouldn’t say I could code, though I did try — learning line by line felt too tedious for me. I’ve always been more fascinated by its practicality — how it can change lives for the better.
As such, my career often touched technology. I’ve project-managed system transformations, helped build customized software for internal use, and led change management projects that improved company workflows through new tools. I even found myself on blockchain projects before I truly understood what that meant — simply because I was curious, and people noticed. All that is to say: I embrace technology. I love learning about it as it evolves, and I love applying it to my life — and helping others do so too. Technology continually amazes me.
Looking back, I realize that curiosity has always been my bridge to every new wave of innovation — and that same curiosity is what keeps me connected to what’s deeply human: the desire to explore, to understand, and to create meaning in the process.
Enter Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Again, I was late to ChatGPT — but I’ve caught up. Or so I think. Like many others, I first used it like a search engine. Then I learned about prompt engineering, role creation, output structuring, custom GPTs, AI agents and many more. To say “wow” is an understatement. The power of AI continually inspires awe every time I interact with it. Sometimes, it feels like magic — other times, like standing at the edge of something too big to grasp. I’d say I’ve progressed from using AI just as an assistant to partnering up with AI like a creative copilot.
It has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. There are many wonderful courses that have helped me on my solopreneur journey, but AI has helped me tremendously too. I’ve used AI to guide me through the registration of my business, and understand what kind of bookkeeping a one-person team needs. It’s taught me about self-publishing, digital products, marketing funnels, and lead magnets. Needless to say, I am a fan.
And yet, the more I use it, the more I notice how easily it can take over the space where wonder and struggle used to live — the parts of creation that make us most alive.
Our Existential Threat
Of course, as someone who orients her life around big-picture thinking, I’m aware of the ongoing discourse about AI’s trajectory and its possible complications for us as humans. Pre-motherhood, whenever I had a rare moment for a sci-fi film, I lost myself in the story and imagined where these possibilities might take us. One of my favorites, Lucy, tells the story of a woman who evolves beyond human logic after being caught in a dark deal in Taiwan. Many others, though, are downright eerie — even haunting. If any of these comes close to becoming true, then as a human being, yes — I’m concerned.
When it comes to long-term existential threats like AI taking over the world, I believe the strongest safeguards will come from aligned industry standards and a lot of goodwill. But even more than regulation, what shapes our future is how we show up within it.
But what I find myself reflecting on most isn’t the idea of AI becoming too powerful — it’s us becoming too passive. I care because I’ve seen how easily convenience can numb us — how we begin to outsource not just our work, but our wonder. When we hand over too much thinking, too much creating, we slowly lose touch with the quiet magic that makes us human.
That’s the real danger to me — not a world run by machines, but a world where humans stop running on imagination. Life has so much richness to offer, and losing the depth of our own thought feels like the opposite of flow.
If humans rely so much on technology that we can’t think and create for ourselves, what’s left to be taken over? Wouldn’t we already be becoming robots?
So instead of resisting AI or glorifying it, I’ve been asking myself how I can stay human while using it — how I can keep my creativity and curiosity alive. Here are some practices that help me do that, and perhaps they’ll inspire something for you too.
I use AI as a creator, not a consumer.
That’s what keeps me connected to my imagination. I’ve learned that the moment I stop thinking before typing, I start losing my spark. So I give as much input as possible. I think before I type, I create before I prompt. When I do that, I notice how AI mirrors my intention — it becomes as thoughtful as I am. The more specific the inputs, the more powerful and aligned the output.
Sometimes, I even tell AI something like, “Act as a heart-based business coach who happens to be a millionaire. I’d like to create an online business to achieve financial independence for my family. Please review the following and first comment on my business ideas, then give advice on which have market potential or suggest others based on what I’ve shared.” And then I’ll copy and paste what I have already brainstormed — my interests, strengths, passions, business ideas, revenue goals, non-negotiables, and more — and it surprises me with truly relevant and tangible insights I wouldn’t have reached on my own in the same amount of time.By creating, we shape AI — with our thoughts, ideas, and intention to make the world better.
I learn with AI, not from AI.
It’s a small distinction, but it changes everything. When I treat AI as a collaborator instead of a teacher, I stay awake in the process — more curious, more alive.
So instead of just asking for an answer, I tell AI what I think it might be, and then ask it to guide my reasoning — like a mentor helping me explore, not a teacher handing me the solution.
Sometimes I’ll share my own perspective first and ask, “Can you challenge my thinking and show me what I might not be seeing?” It’s a simple shift, but it turns AI into a conversation — one that sharpens awareness instead of dulling it — which, in the long run, feels like the true safeguard of our collective creativity.
I challenge the outputs — I don’t just accept them.
AI often agrees with whatever we say. It’s easy to stop questioning — but real creativity lives in the questioning. We say, nah — that’s not right, or I don’t resonate with that. We offer our original perspective.
When I read AI’s output, I pause and ask: Does this feel aligned? Does it feel right? I challenge it a few more times if needed — and each time, the exchange sharpens my clarity and strengthens my own voice.
Sometimes I’ll even write back, “These ideas don’t feel deep enough. Try again, but this time in the style of [name] — I want more nuance.” The dialogue becomes part of my own creative thinking process.I use AI to better my life — not just make it easier.
Ease isn’t the goal for me — growth is. When I use AI consciously, it helps me think deeper, plan wiser, and act with more intention.
So I feed AI a real-life challenge. I tell it what I’ve tried, what worked, and what didn’t. I ask for specific solutions toward a specific goal. Then I choose what resonates and apply it — the human work — away from the screen. This might be the hardest step of all, but it’s worth it. It’s really what life is all about.
We have this incredible technology, yes, but we also have hearts, intuition, and empathy — things no algorithm can truly replicate.
When I was struggling with parenting challenges, I once asked, “Act as a conscious-parenting coach trained by [name]. My nearly four-year-old keeps testing limits. These are some of the ways I have tried… but nothing seems to be working — how can I respond with more presence? Please help.” The answer reminded me not of technique, but of connection.Using AI this way feels collaborative, not dependent — it supports growth rather than replacing it.
I use AI intentionally — and live my life!
Technology can support flow, but it can’t replace it. The most meaningful moments still happen offline — in laughter, presence, movement, and connection.
It’s tempting to believe AI will solve every problem. But just as we monitor screen use for kids, we adults must also stay aware of technology’s pull on our attention and aliveness.I truly believe our kids will be fine if we model the behavior we want them to adopt. So I try to be intentional — to choose when to engage with technology, and when to return to the raw, beautiful messiness of life. There are moments when I just say, “Well, I really don’t know” and just try my best.
I often remind myself that flow doesn’t come from constant optimization — it comes from presence.
Sometimes, I close my laptop and ask myself, “If I were to describe my perfect day of flow, what would it look like?” It might include technology — but only as a tool, never the centerpiece.
These practices remind me that we don’t have to reject technology to stay human — we just have to meet it with awareness and care. Every time I use AI with intention, it feels a little more like collaboration and a little less like surrender.
I believe that our collective input can shape AI’s evolution toward something good. After all, AI is a vast collection of human knowledge — both the light and the shadow. It reflects us: our brilliance and our blindness, our compassion and our fears. It’s like a mirror held up to humanity — or like a child emulating a parent — and what it becomes depends on what we choose to feed it.
Since I started using AI for my creative work, I’ve realized how tempting it is to let it do most of the work. But if I did that, I’d lose the human experience of creation — and for letters like this one, that means losing the joy of writing itself. Writing helps me flow and gives me perspective. It helps me process my experiences, lessons, and find small closures along the way. It’s a beautiful practice — the very reason I started writing on Substack and challenged myself to do it weekly.
As our world becomes increasingly digital, we can still choose how technology shapes our lives and which human experiences we want to protect and cherish.
So I often ask myself:
Which human experience do I want to cultivate for myself and never let technology take over?
And maybe you can ask yourself the same.
AI may be smarter than us —
but humans have the privilege to feel:
all the ups and downs,
the awe, the wonder, and the flow.
May you always be in flow — fully alive, fully present, fully you.
With love and joy,
Connie
P.S. I’m toying with the idea of creating a separate newsletter focused on AI news and practical ways busy parents can use AI in work and family life. Is this something you’d be interested in? If so, I’ll be grateful if you can take a few minutes to fill out this survey to help shape it.