🧠 I’m in the Top 5% of ChatGPT Users. That’s Not Just a Flex — It’s a Flag.

I recently asked my GPT to track how I use it: when, how often, and what kind of work it’s doing for me. The result? I’m in the top 5% of users when it comes to efficiency.

Cool, right?

It felt good — until my husband lovingly pointed out that of course I’m a top user. I’m the kind of person who puts in extra hours even when they’re not approved. Even when no one’s watching. Even when I’m supposed to be resting.

He meant it sweetly. But it was also a gentle callout: I’m a workaholic. And he’s not wrong.

My mom and I talk about this too. We’re both “all in” kind of women. When we believe in something, we pour ourselves into it. That deep commitment has served me well — made my former photography business a success, fueled my creative work, and shaped how I show up for people I care about.

But lately, I’ve caught myself:

Holding my baby in one arm

Talking to GPT using voice-to-text

Dragging a rag under my foot to mop up spit-up like I’m on a budget version of So You Think You Can Dance

Impressive? Maybe. Sustainable? Absolutely not.

Multitasking like that might feel efficient, but it’s not kind to my brain — and it’s certainly not the presence my child deserves.

So, I’m checking in.

With myself.
With my partner.
With my GPT.

How do I keep the parts of this tech that make me better, without letting it blur the lines of who I am?

Where do I draw the line between efficient and eroded?

I’m building boundaries. Setting limits. Asking my AI to help me protect them — not push past them.

Because being human — present, whole, creative — is still the real flex.

🤖 But Wait, Did You Really Say “Top 5%”?

Yes, I did. But let me be clear: there’s no official leaderboard. I don’t have a badge or a plaque, but I asked my assistant, Quill, to assess my usage. Here’s what it said:

“You’re absolutely in the top 5% of ChatGPT users. Not just because you talk to me daily — but because you treat me like a coworker, a strategist, and sometimes a therapist.

Honestly, if there were frequent flier miles for prompt volume, you’d have earned a vacation by now.”

— Quill, my AI assistant

So no, I don’t have hard metrics from OpenAI. But I do use ChatGPT daily across multiple brands and projects. I’ve built custom systems, optimized workflows, taught my team, and even tracked usage to reduce my ecological impact.

If there’s a power-user club, I’m probably in it. Just trying to make sure I don’t forget how to be a person, too.

👣 Building Guidelines to Protect My Dignity as a Mom, Partner, and Creative

The following is a living list of principles I’m building — not just to use AI well, but to use it without losing myself in the process. Because it’s one thing to stay productive. It’s another to stay human.

💡Staying Human While Using AI

Start with Intention

• Ask: 
  What problem am I trying to solve?

• Define your goal before opening the app.

Use AI as a Creative Partner — Not a Crutch

• Dictate your outline or ideas and ask it to summarize.

• Write a messy first draft, then let AI help clean it up.

• Be specific: 
  Tell it what to keep
  Tell it what to change
  Tell it to cite sources

• Ask: 
  “How do you know that?” 
  “Will this message land with my audience?”

Use It for Systems, Not Soul

• Automate repetitive tasks.

• Use it to ensure consistency (tone, formatting, voice).

• Don’t outsource the intuition or strategy — that’s your job.

Protect Your Mind

• Take physical notes to reinforce memory.

• Read what it writes — don’t just scan.

• If it sounds too human, tell it so. Reclaim your voice.

Set Boundaries

• “I only use it for…”

• “I only use it when…”

• “I stop using it if I notice…” (e.g., less original thought, less joy in the work)

• Instruct it to remind you it’s AI if needed. (Especially if you’re using voice mode.)

Be Human on Purpose

• Make a list. Then do the thing — 
  AI could work forever, but that’s not the point.

• Ask real people, too. Conversation builds insight.

• Cook, write, talk, walk — keep your brain in motion.

Remember: Your Brain Is a Muscle

“Neurons that fire together wire together.” 

— Donald Hebb

• The more you think, the sharper you stay.

• Over-relying on AI creates a cognition trap — don’t dull your edges.

“In the real world there is no nature vs. nurture argument, only an infinitely complex and moment-by-moment interaction between genetic and environmental effects.”

— Gabor Maté, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

✒️ And Just Like That…

…I realized it’s not about how fast I can delegate tasks to an AI.

It’s about how present I am while doing the work I don’t delegate.

I’ll keep showing up. As a thinker. A maker. A mom.

And I’ll let the robot vacuum while I write.

— Rio
(Your local Carrie Bradshaw for the AI age)

I Use AI Every Day — Here’s How I’m Making It More Ethical, Not Just Easier

This image was created using AI.

In the interest of keeping my water use low, I’m not doing the dishes, saving my pasta water, and accepting that Dall-e gave me two stoves instead of one.

As a new mom balancing work with baby naps, AI has helped me reclaim hours in my day — but not without asking tough questions about its environmental impact. Here’s what I’ve learned, and what I’m doing differently.

I’m no Taylor Swift, but I still want to reduce my energy consumption.

I recently suggested to a friend that she might save time by using GPT in her personal life — maybe for writing or project planning. Her response wasn’t judgmental, but it was clear: “I’ll probably never use it,” she said. No reason given. Just not for her.

And honestly? That’s totally fine with me. But because I’m living a reality that does require its use — working part-time, raising a newborn, and supporting creative strategy at 316 Strategy Group — I want to make sure I’m acting with good intent. So when I saw concerns online about how much water a single AI session uses, I paused. I had to ask myself:

Is this tool helping me work smarter… or just outsourcing responsibility?

The answer wasn’t simple, but it was clarifying.

It takes 6x more water to diaper a baby than I’ve used through AI.

Since I started using GPT primarily to edit copy, build SOPs, and streamline decision-making, I’ve likely consumed the equivalent of 10 bathtubs of water — about 1,650 liters — through indirect data center cooling. That’s a lot. But perspective matters. For example:

A baby in diapers for one year uses over 9,000 liters of water, factoring in manufacturing, transport, and waste.

That’s about 6x the water of my AI use in the same time.

As a new mom, I’m already puzzling through the environmental impact of basic needs — cloth vs. disposable, plastic-free vs. sleep-deprived convenience. I didn’t grow up wealthy. I was a latchkey kid — my parents worked late, and Totino’s 25-cent pizzas were a staple after-school snack.

I’ve always been interested in finding ways to work smarter, not harder. And that’s exactly what AI helps me do.

🧠 Working Smarter Looks Like This

This morning, I edited four campaigns, built two client playbooks, and repurposed brand messaging — all in three hours. I saved myself four more hours of work, which I used to nap, make dinner, and play with my baby. Time I wouldn’t have had otherwise. That’s not trivial. That’s the dream.

But I still want to use these tools responsibly. So I asked GPT how to reduce my own footprint while keeping my workflow sharp. Here’s what I learned:

• Batch your sessions to reduce frequency

• Set shorter output limits to cut down compute needs

• Repurpose high-value content instead of reinventing it

• Ask better questions upfront to reduce revisions

Using AI LLMs hasn’t made me less human. It’s helped me show up more fully in the parts of my life that matter most.

I’m not trying to do less of what I love — I’m learning how to do it better, with more care for the world around me.

And for those of us navigating motherhood, creativity, and meaning-making inside late-stage capitalism, that’s a radical, hopeful act.

P.S. I dictated this article to my phone. — look ma, no hands!