The Power of Threes: My Mental Framework for Thriving in an AI-Driven World

????;???? AI is moving fast, but mental space is limited. I apply this technique to simplify decisions, automate repetitive tasks, and learn when AI can be leveraged. Curious?

[ If you missed my last post on filtering what actually matters, check it out here.]

The first time I played pickleball at my neighborhood community center, I was surrounded by a sea of energetic retirees. They were good—dinking, slicing, and keeping me scrambling.

Every time I messed up, or forgot a rule, they'd shout well-meaning advice before I could even react.

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?? “?????? ???? ???? ?????? ??????????????—??????’?? ???? ????????????!”

?? “?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ???? ???????????? ?????????? ?????? ??????????!"

But all that input? Total overload. ?? I tried fixing everything at once and got worse. So, I stopped, and focused on three:

1. Use hips, not arms.
2. Love the kitchen (a seven-foot zone on each side of the net).
3. Serve, then let it bounce.

The shift was instant, and my game leveled up.

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Our brains love patterns, and three is the smallest number needed to form one. The prefrontal cortex, which governs working memory, naturally holds about 3–4 chunks of information at a time (Miller, 1956; McLeod, 2018).

???????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ????????????????????:

? Acronyms: USA, FBI, LAX, SOP...

? Holy Trinity: Father, Son, the Holy Spirit

? Attachment Styles: Anxious, Avoidant, Secure

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Deciding what to eat is a daily mental tax. Meal prep is great, but when I go out with friends, choosing a restaurant takes time. Too many options, too many preferences, and too much back-and-forth.

Instead of scrolling or debating endlessly, I've applied ?????? ?????????? ???? ??????????—with a little help from AI.

1. Whenever I have a craving or hear of a restaurant I want to try, I immediately add it to my list on Google Maps.

2. ?????????? ???????????? ???? ??????? When decision time comes up, I ask my custom GPT "Can you give me three options within 10 minutes from my location?"

3. I send the three options to my friends. They pick, we go. Quick, simple, no overthinking.

? The Power of Three combined with AI helps me reserve mental energy and time for bigger and complex decisions.

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I love starting my mornings with a French folk pop song called ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????????? by Rose, followed by 20-minutes of podcast that replenishes my soul.

But I noticed a pattern.

1. Fumbling through my nightstand to find my phone.

2. Opening Spotify to search the song from my favorites list.

3. Getting distracted by notifications, and firing off responses to texts and emails.

After repeating this cycle and regretting it too many times, I knew I needed a fix.

Now, I keep my phone outside my bedroom and simply say:

"Hey Google, Good Morning."

Then my smart device plays my wake-up song, followed by a podcast.

?? This one change cut out distractions and made my mornings effortless.

? Repetition signals an opportunity to automate.

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?????? ???? ?? ???? ????????? If I find myself answering the same question more than three times by more than three people, I take it as a signal to document it. I create an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), a step-by-step guide that streamlines the processes and scales knowledge. So next time, instead of explaining again - I point people to the SOP.

? Don't repeat - document, automate, and move forward.

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AI is powerful, but clarity—not just more information—is the real advantage. The ability to filter, automate, and scale knowledge is what keeps us from drowning in decision fatigue and information overload.

That's why I use ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????????? to:

1. Simplify choices > AI helps filter, but humans make the final call

2. Automate smartly > If I repeat it 3x, I optimize it.

3. Scale knowledge efficiently > If I explain it 3x, I document it.

By applying these habits, I sharpen - Critical Thinking, Cognitive Agility, and Curiosity - the human skills AI can't completely replace. And by streamlining mental effort, I make space for Connection, and Clear Communication.

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