This week, I’m not automating anything. I’m just trying to be human.

Reconnecting with family. Logging off. Touching grass. Because AI moves fast; too fast sometimes.

There’ll be more AI experiments next week — but today, I wanted to slow down and ask:

How do you balance your life in tech/AI and your life in the real world?

I’ve had my share of burnout from overdoing it in tech; but I think here on this challenge, writing for you, I am finally finding my balance.

Thankful to Connect

I didn’t expect to connect with so many awesome people.

Many of you email me each week and share your own AI / business automation stories, it’s a blessing. We often end up talking about stuff beyond AI – entrepreneurship, SEO, making; how AI is affecting us and the people around us.

Thank you.

Even if you’re quietly reading this, thank you.

What my Balance Looks Like

Lots of new faces. Not sure how much you all know about me. Here are the cliff notes on how I got here:

• Software Engineer & Entrepreneur past 20 years
• Lost track of how many businesses failed
• Had a few successes, two exits
• Burned out hard in the process
• Built a cabin in the woods, came back to tech
• Tried handful of small bets
• Realised AI has changed everything
• Started this AI biz challenge, and newsletter

I’ve always been entrepreneurial. I learned it from my dad.

Starting companies has always scratched my itch; learning, executing, helping others.

By starting the company I could set the rules, define the systems. Entrepreneurialism has been my way of making places I can prosper.

But tech was always an opportunity to work too hard, or too much.

I love writing code and building things. But I burned out…hard.

The upside of going through that, in the end, is becoming even more conscious about what works and what doesn’t.

What works for me is planting trees and making stuff.

Trees are the ultimate grounder. They are literally the symbol for grounding. Trees don’t get lost for 4 hours tweaking prompts.

Maybe it’s my parents naming me Woody; idk. In my adult life I haven’t found a more practical outlet for grounding myself after abstract code writing.

🌳 Planting a tree takes 10 minutes:

You have to be outside, be aware of the land; pick a good spot.

You have to dig a hole.

You have to use your hands to place the roots of the tree into the hole.

You have to water it.

… and all being well, that 10 minutes of your human life can lead to a tree the size of a 5 story tower block. Tons of carbon sequestered. Acres of new niches for animals to move into. It can produce food for 100 years, and a beautiful place to sit.

Planting trees is the ultimate IRL compound interest activity.

My Balance

… so that’s my way of balancing tech. Right now I am super happy building AI stuff and sharing the journey with you. When I’m not doing that I’m spending time with family, or planting trees.

AI is changing our lives. As entrepreneurs and engineers I think it’s essential we find life to balance our work.

How do you balance your life in tech/AI and your life in the real world?

I’m genuinely curious.

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Reply if you’ve found your own version of “planting trees.” I’d love to hear it.

(See you next week for normal AI business automation fun.)