30-Day AI Survival Action Plan

Week 1: Face Reality (Without Freaking Out)

Day 1: Write down your #1 fear about AI stealing your job. Now write a rational response. Example: “AI will take my job.” → “Or it might just take the parts I hate most.”
Day 2: Make a list of your top 5 strengths (human ones). Hint: “scrolling Instagram” doesn’t count.
Day 3: Google “jobs at high risk of automation.” Circle any that look like yours. This isn’t shame—it’s intel.
Day 4: Write down 3 jobs from the safe zones (healthcare, trades, creativity, teaching, leadership) you could see yourself exploring.
Day 5: Call a friend, colleague, or mentor. Ask them, “What’s one thing I’m great at that AI can’t do?”
Day 6: Watch a 10-minute explainer video on how AI actually works. (YouTube “Andrew Ng AI basics.”)
Day 7: Rest. Laugh at a comedy special. Humor is armor.

Day 8: Sign up for AI For Everyone (Coursera) — free audit option.
Day 9: Learn how to use ChatGPT (or Gemini/Copilot) to write an email. One email. Don’t marry the bot.
Day 10: Try prompting an AI to make a grocery list, résumé bullet, or blog idea. Notice what works.
Day 11: Read a free article on prompt engineering (Google: “best prompt engineering tips”).
Day 12: Watch a free video on SQL basics or Python for beginners. Take notes.
Day 13: Practice: Ask AI to draft a business idea you’d never start (ex: artisanal ferret daycare). Laugh, then see how structured its thinking is.
Day 14: Rest. Go outside. Remember you’re not a bot.

Day 15: Sign up for a Toastmasters meeting (public speaking). Just watch if you’re shy.
Day 16: Call someone you care about and actually listen without checking your phone.
Day 17: Watch an improv or stand-up clip. Notice how humans riff in real time.
Day 18: Negotiate something small (ask for extra sauce at Chipotle). Practice the art of “no harm, no foul.”
Day 19: Write a short story, poem, or joke. Doesn’t matter if it sucks—AI can’t replicate your voice.
Day 20: Teach someone one thing you’ve learned about AI so far. Teaching locks it in.
Day 21: Rest. Reward yourself with pizza. Or kale. (But pizza.)

Day 22: Update your résumé with “AI tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot.” It’s not lying—you’ve used them.
Day 23: Research one AI-related job that interests you (ex: “AI product manager,” “data analyst,” “AI ethics consultant”).
Day 24: Join one online group (LinkedIn, Discord, Reddit) where people in that field hang out.
Day 25: Watch a free lecture from Elements of AI (University of Helsinki, free MOOC).
Day 26: Write a list of 3 ways AI could make your current work easier instead of scarier.
Day 27: Reach out to a professional in your target field. Ask one question. Humans love to talk about themselves.
Day 28: Take a mental health check. Journal: “What have I learned this month that makes me feel safer about the future?”
Day 29: Draft a 1-year learning plan (example: finish 2 AI courses, practice Python, grow network).
Day 30: Celebrate. You’re now officially less replaceable than 90% of people doomscrolling about AI.

👉 Stick this on your fridge. One small step a day beats freaking out about robots 24/7.

Sincerely,

Ross Grossman, MA, LMFT
Affinity Therapy Services