Deep Diving

Build your capacity for attention, memory and deep work  

Why this matters: The ease and speed of using AI can lead to shallow thinking and off-track multitasking. By consciously taking deeper dives we can build our mental muscles and develop our capabilities for critical thinking, exploration and discovery. Know when to put AI aside and swim on your own so you build the mental strength that makes learning and judgment possible. 

Mini-tool: The Depth Gauge

AI makes it effortless to skim the surface of any topic. But value isn’t found atop the waves; it is found in the depths. Shallow thinking is easy and can be distracting. Deep thinking, in which you disconnect from the machine to synthesize complex ideas, can seem difficult, but it is truly rewarding.  

Try it

Create an investigator’s log for your work with AI following these steps:

A timed challenge that forces the transition from skimming to thinking.

Surface swim (5 Minutes): Ask an AI to summarize a complex topic you are studying. Read it quickly. Reflect on your level of understanding. How well did the surface swim work?

Shallow dive (5 Minutes): Pick one claim from the summary. Ask the AI four hard questions about it: “What is the primary source of this information?”, “What is the counter-argument?”, “What other outside evidence supports these details?”, and “Who disagrees and why?”

Scuba zone (20 Minutes): Disconnect from AI and draw a concept map of the idea using only your own brain and what you can find doing serious academic research. If you get stuck, don’t immediately turn to AI for an answer. Just work in the pressure until your ideas come together.