When AI Gives You Too Much of a Good Thing
Part 3 of the Soulful AI Guardrails series — on staying focused, clear, and intentional when AI gives you too much of a good thing.
Quick note before we dive in:
This month’s series explores Soulful AI—how to use technology without losing your center.
I know AI isn’t everyone’s topic of choice, but it’s part of the same journey we’re on here: staying human in a world that keeps accelerating.
For now, think of this as a field report from the frontier — written through the same lens of presence, purpose, and possibility that always guides my work.
Our usual rhythm returns in November.
Last issue, we explored Safety — how presence protects you from drifting when AI gets too close.
But once we feel safe enough to explore, a new challenge emerges: too much of a good thing.
AI opens endless doors: new tools, fresh ideas, perspectives, prompts.
Every answer spawns three more questions, each promising to make you better, smarter, or more prepared.
It’s intoxicating.
The danger isn’t just overload; it’s over-engagement. It’s getting stuck exploring instead of acting.
You start to feel busy, but not productive. Full, but unfocused.
I call it the firehose effect: when curiosity becomes a flood and you lose track of what you actually came for.
The Trap of Productive Procrastination
Just last week, I caught myself drinking from the firehose.
I’d gone down a research rabbit hole on content syndication — how it works, which outlets accept submissions, what my unique angle could be.
Within hours, I had multiple Google Docs and more than ten versions of pitches — each a slightly different permutation.
Did I take the action?
Not yet.
And though I trust in right timing, I also know this pattern well.
Sometimes I hide in preparation.
Sometimes I spend so much time getting ready to be ready that I mistake movement for momentum.
It’s a form of productive procrastination, that sneaky state where everything looks like progress, but nothing is actually moving.
AI compounds that tendency beautifully, it rewards endless exploration.It makes it easy to feel like you’ve done something when really, you’ve only thought about it.
That’s the quiet trap of productive procrastination: staying in motion so you don’t have to face the moment of doing.
Where Your Attention Leaks Away
Your attention is currency — and AI is designed to keep you spending.
Every suggestion, summary, and “you might also like” keeps you nibbling, delightfully distracting your focus.
The same traps show up on social media — scrolling, comparing, collecting ideas — but AI can feel trickier because it looks productive.
Both reward your attention; the question is: what actually deserves it?
But simplicity is powerful energy. It invites you to ask: “What really matters here? What is all this information in service to?”
When you start treating your attention as sacred, you notice how much of it leaks into “just-in-case” ideas and “maybe-someday” projects.
Sometimes the most productive move is knowing when to say when.
Soulful Practices for Simplicity
Here’s what helps me stay focused in the flood:
Journal first, then prompt. Get clear on what you actually want to know or create — before you ask AI. Don’t outsource your intention.
Name your one essential question. Choose one, not five. AI amplifies whatever focus you bring — or lack.
Set enoughness limits. One thread, twenty minutes. When you find what you came for, stop.
Progress over perfection. Ask: Do I have enough information to take real-world action? Or am I getting lost in endless scenarios?
Mantra: Less info, more (aligned) action.
Your Turn
Where might you be over-preparing, over-perfecting, or over-consuming — mistaking motion for momentum?
What’s the one thing that’s quietly asking for your action, even if it’s not perfect or fully formed?
Try this with Meredith AI 💫
After using AI for brainstorming or research, open your Meredith AI Coach and say:
“Help me move from thinking to doing. What’s the next aligned action I’m ready for right now?”
You’ll notice: the more you practice simple, focused attention, the more your energy and results expand.
I’d love to know —What’s your flavor of productive procrastination — and how do you pull yourself back when the “research” rabbit hole calls? 😅
+Big Love,
Meredith
P.S. Next up: The Humanity Guardrail — how to stay connected and real when technology becomes your main collaborator.🙌
If you haven’t yet, grab your copy of the Soulful AI Guardrails — a short primer on what to avoid, what to embrace, and how to make AI your ally.
➕ Follow Meredith Vaish for intuitive leadership and weekly practices to pause, reset, and lead from alignment.
♻️ Restack to share with with other women who might be drinking from the firehose.
👉 Or browse past Rituals:
What Are You Really Waiting For?
When Imposter Syndrome Crashes The Party
