The Fire in the Backyard: How Obsession and AI Spark Personal Transformation
Some people collect wine.
I collect frameworks, mental models, and 21-day experiments.
But sometimes, something new grabs hold. Not like a passing interest, but like a background hum that slowly dials itself up to full volume. It starts quietly. Maybe a few bookmarks. A saved article. A couple late-night rabbit holes.
Then one day, it’s the only thing you want to talk about.
From Curiosity to Compulsion
For me, that thing is now AI.
I tried to ignore it at first. Even as someone who’s been in tech for nearly three decades, I brushed it off. Early chat models felt like a fancy autocomplete. Cool? Sure. Useful? Maybe. Life-changing? Not yet.
But then something shifted.
I started using it daily. Not just for novelty, but for work. Writing. Thinking. Problem-solving. Coaching. Then came the tools. The automations. The agents. Before long, it had a permanent spot on my desktop - open all day like an extra brain across multiple browser tabs and monitors.
Now, I find myself thinking:
"This isn’t just a new tool. It’s a tectonic shift."
And here’s the weird part…
Outside my bubble of other tech geeks, most people I talk to are still using AI like it’s a glorified Google search.
Meanwhile, companies are throwing out $500M+ offers for top AI researchers, with rumors of billion-dollar compensation packages for the ones that they think might help them crack AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).
Something is happening. And it’s happening fast.
The Obsession Filter
If you know me, you know this: I have OCD.
For most of my life, that’s felt like both a curse and a hidden superpower. When something locks into my brain, it doesn’t let go. It demands resolution. Output. Momentum.
That’s why this newsletter has worked so far. When I share ideas around habit design or mental models or productivity challenges, it’s not because I think I should. It’s because I have to. It’s what my brain is chewing on that week.
And now?
It’s chewing on AI. Nonstop.
What’s Next (and Where You Come In)
This isn’t a pivot away from personal growth.
It’s a doubling-down on what’s most pressing for me right now.
If there's a fire in my backyard, it's going to get a lot more attention than the flowers that need watering on my dining room table.
I’ll still collect those frameworks. I’ll still do the 21-day experiments.
But AI has become the new lens I can’t stop seeing everything through.
So here’s my ask:
I’ve put together a one-question poll about where this newsletter could go next.
It only has one button to click, will take 10 seconds, and it’ll help shape what I create.
I get so many thoughtful replies from readers. My open rates are well above average. That tells me this isn’t just a one-way broadcast. It’s a conversation. And I'd love your thoughts on what you'd like more of.
If AI really is the wildfire many of us think it is, let’s figure out how to build something meaningful inside of it.
Thanks for reading.
More soon.
Find your next edge,
Eli
