We’ve all been there—staring at a blank page, trying to kickstart a pitch, craft a campaign, or write an email. It’s always a daunting challenge that calls for procrastination, and one that my co-founder Justin Gallagher knows too well.
But instead of struggling solo, Justin has a new solution to turn to: ChatGPT. Instead of starting from scratch, Justin considers using AI as a starting point for creative ideation. I thought it would be fun to talk to Justin about how he uses ChatGPT daily in a really unusual but exciting way, that has also changed the way I think about AI in my work. See the whole interview below as well as some snippets of main ideas and real world examples.
Skip the blank page with ChatGPT
When faced with the “blank page problem,” Justin sees ChatGPT as more than a tool; it’s a collaborator.
For him, critiquing the flawed first draft of AI is so much easier than starting from nothing. Even an imperfect draft is enough momentum to break through creative blocks and speed up getting to an end product.
For big projects, Justin might go back and forth with ChatGPT over multiple days, iteratively. He says: “ChatGPT gets me started and lets me build on an idea daily, spending 30 minutes here and there peppering it with fresh ideas.”
Real-world example: breaking through creative blocks
- Scenario: Justin was brainstorming distribution strategies for Hoop—a daunting task he had a hard time getting started.
- Approach: He fed ChatGPT a rough description of his goals, allowing the AI to generate an initial draft.
- Result: Though imperfect, the draft gave him something tangible to critique and refine. Over a few days, he iterated, adding and tweaking ideas until he had a clear and actionable plan.
Putting it into practice:
- Start with a rough prompt or brain dump: “Here’s my goal. What’s a good way to approach this?”
- Use ChatGPT’s response as a springboard for your ideas.
- Iterate frequently, refining the outputs with your personal touch.
The middle product made easy
For Justin, the true breakthrough came when he started using ChatGPT as a sparring partner to generate the “middle product.”
“It’s about collaboration,” he explains. “AI doesn’t replace the final touches—it’s up to me to deliver the finished project.” By letting ChatGPT handle the heavy lifting upfront, Justin saves time and mental energy. He can then focus on aligning his vision with the final deliverable, whether it’s refining tone, style, or messaging.
Creative work often goes through several iterations, ChatGPT helps speed up the iterative process with multiple rounds of feedback delivered almost instantly.
Real-world example: writing outreach emails
- Task: Crafting an email to potential partners.
- Workflow: Justin inputs key points into ChatGPT to generate a draft, then tweaks it to ensure the tone resonates with the recipient.
- Result: Polished, on-brand communication delivered in a fraction of the time
Putting it into practice:
- Use ChatGPT for longer form creative or strategic thinking
- Focus on refining tone and style during edits to make the final version true to you.
Sparring partner for strategic thinking
One of Justin’s favorite ChatGPT hacks is to ask it to produce deliverables as if they’re ready to share with his team. He frames prompts with clear instructions like:
“Make this clear, concise, and convincing.”
This forces him to think critically about whether the content is interesting, thought-provoking, and helpful. By simulating team feedback, he anticipates challenges and strengthens his ideas before sharing.
Real-world example: anticipating team questions
- Task: Writing a strategy page for Hoop.
- Approach: Justin asked ChatGPT to play the role of a skeptical team member, posing questions like, “What might go wrong with this plan?”
- Result: By addressing these questions upfront, Justin rounded out his strategy and avoided potential blind spots.
Putting It Into Practice:
- Use prompts like: “What would a skeptical product manager say about this?”
- Revise your work based on AI-generated questions to make it more robust.
Lessons for first-time AI users
If you’re new to AI tools, Justin offers these tips to get started:
- Start Small: Begin with simple tasks like drafting emails or brainstorming topics. Justin started by using ChatGPT to summarize information—a straightforward way to see its capabilities in action.
- Explore and Experiment: Over time, Justin transitioned from summarization tasks to using ChatGPT as a collaborative partner and brainstorming tool. For instance, he voice-recorded ideas and asked ChatGPT to expand on them, helping flesh out concepts like “Daily Notes for Task Capture.”
- Iterate Often: Don’t settle for the first output. Revisit prompts as inspiration strikes.
- Provide Context: The more specific your prompts, the better the results. Instead of “Write a blog post,” try: “Create an outline for a blog post on using AI for task management, including examples.”
- Collaborate, Don’t Replace: Treat AI as a partner, not a replacement. Take ownership of the final product to ensure it aligns with your goals and tone.
The future of work: AI + human expertise
As Justin puts it: “It’s not just about doing things faster. It’s about creating space for the work that really matters—strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and building meaningful connections.”
The right AI tool doesn’t just save time—it transforms how you approach work.
Ready to see AI task management in action? Check out Hoop to centralize tasks across all your tools...automatically.