Ever find yourself staring at the screen, knowing you have great ideas but just can’t seem to get them out? You’re not alone. But here’s the thing—getting your thoughts onto the page (or into a voice note) doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth.
Here's my trick: stream of consciousness. And when you pair it with AI tools like ChatGPT, you can turn that brain dump into something polished, structured, and uniquely you—without the hours of stress.
What is Stream of Consciousness (and Why It Works)?
Stream of consciousness is basically brain-dumping in its purest form. You let your thoughts flow—no editing, no overthinking, no worrying about structure. It’s how we naturally process ideas, and when you embrace it, you can unlock some of your most creative, authentic work. The key is capturing those ideas in a way that lets AI help you shape them into something amazing.
Step 1: Find Your Best Way to Brain-Dump
Everyone’s brain works differently, so first, figure out how you best get your thoughts out:
Do you think best when you talk things out? Try recording voice notes (I love my Plaud).
Do you need to write things down to process them? Set a timer and just start typing or journaling.
Do you get your best ideas in conversation? Find a go-to brainstorming buddy or even use ChatGPT’s voice feature to “talk” through ideas.
No matter what your style is, the goal is the same: get as many of your thoughts out as you can before you start refining them.
Step 2: Capture Ideas in the Moment
You know that brilliant idea that pops into your head while you’re making coffee, and then—poof—it’s gone? Don’t let that happen. Set up a system that makes it easy to capture ideas when inspiration strikes:
Use the Notes app on your phone to jot things down.
Record voice memos.
Start a running list in your notes app or Notion.
If you’re in a meeting or brainstorming session, use a tool like Otter.ai to transcribe your thoughts.
Don’t assume you’ll remember later—you probably won’t. Make capturing ideas as easy as possible so you can always go back and build on them.
Step 3: Let AI Do the Heavy Lifting
Once you’ve got all your raw thoughts down, it’s time to refine. This is where AI shines:
Transcribe: If you recorded your thoughts, use an AI transcription tool to turn them into text.
Organize: Drop your notes into ChatGPT and ask it to structure them into a blog post, email, or social caption.
Refine: Be super specific when you prompt AI. Instead of saying “Make this better,” try: “Make this sound like me—casual but confident, clear but not robotic.”
Step 4: Make Sure It Still Sounds Like You
AI-generated content is great, but sometimes it can feel a little too…corporate. If something sounds off, tweak the output:
Ditch the generic AI formatting: If you hate overly structured, bullet-heavy posts, tell AI upfront.
Train AI on your style: Upload past examples of your writing to ChatGPT’s project folders so it learns your tone.
Be the final editor: AI is your assistant, not your ghostwriter. Always give content a final pass to make sure it actually sounds like you.
Step 5: Use AI as Your Creative Partner, Not a Shortcut
At the end of the day, AI isn’t here to replace your creativity—it’s here to amplify it. The more you use it to support your process (rather than do all the work for you), the better your content will be.
So next time you’re feeling stuck, don’t stress about getting it perfect on the first try. Brain-dump, record, jot things down—whatever works for you. Then, let AI help shape those raw ideas into something structured, clear, and compelling. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it makes the whole process.
Want help getting started or improving your relationship with AI? Reach out (hello@937mktg.com) and let's see how I can help!
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