[Sequel] The Grave Sin of Being Unable to Properly Use AI for Two Weeks After Reaching 500 Followers

Before hiring an AI as my strategist, there was something I should have done.

Without knowing that, I spent two weeks wandering in circles.

I wrote about the math behind reaching 500 followers here.

▶︎ [2-Month Record] The Math Behind How a 45-Year-Old Man Who Didn't Even Know What Hashtags Were Hired an AI Strategist and Reached 500 Followers

However, there is something I couldn't write in that article.

It is easy to say, 'Hand the fuel to the AI.' But if that fuel is piled up in a chaotic mess, the strategist cannot move.

This is a record of that failure.

1. My 'fuel tank' was a chaos of four parts

When I started writing on note, my information management looked like this.

Writing techniques, image prompts, marketing, and past articles. I shoved everything into four files.

I thought I would be safe if I kept everything in one place.

In reality, it was like opening a drawer and having socks, ties, and receipts all fall out together.

'Which file did I write that story in again...?'

I couldn't even find my own information. I have to admit, I had no sense for this.

2. When I asked Claude to 'organize this,' Claude died

A post caught my eye on X.

'It's best to turn each item into a skill and manage them by separating them into Markdown files.'

'...That's it.'

So what I did was have Claude read all four of those files, and then I added 25 past articles on top of that, trying to force it to split them up into detailed categories.

I had the idea that "doing it all at once would be faster."

The result.

"You have reached your usage limit. Please wait until it resets."

Before the organization was complete, Claude went silent. I hadn't written a single line of the article. I hadn't even finished splitting a single item.

The words "You don't need to come in starting tomorrow," told to me at a temp job 15 years ago, flashed through my mind.

I never imagined I'd be banned by an AI, too. I really have no sense for this (for the second time).

The cause was obvious. 4 files + 25 past articles. My tokens were empty just from "starting the organization process."

3. When I gave it to Gemini, the important parts disappeared

Having been dumped by Claude, I tried to do the same thing with Gemini.

This time, it didn't crash.

However, a different problem occurred.

"I knew it."

Gemini summarizes the information I give it too much. It takes the "gritty details" and "specific numbers" that I value most, abstracts them into the clean, polished language typical of AI, and trims them away without permission.

It's organized, but the writing feels cold, like it belongs to someone else. My own emotions don't reside there.

Every time I repeated the proofreading, I could feel the passion that should have been there slipping through my fingers and dying.

4. My last bet was NotebookLM

Claude and Gemini were both unusable for different reasons.

While exhausted and scouring my X timeline for "any good way to do this," I found one piece of information that shone through.

"NotebookLM is the best if you want to feed it a massive amount of documents."

Believing those words, I made one final bet.

Four messy files. 25 past articles. Failure notes. And even that "record of the night I was defeated by a dorayaki."

I threw them all into NotebookLM.

The method is simple. Just open NotebookLM and upload the files. Then, just throw it a prompt like, "Categorize these by theme." That's all.

It doesn't self-destruct due to token limits like Claude, and it doesn't arbitrarily abstract things like Gemini.

NotebookLM kept all the documents I provided intact, and coldly yet accurately sorted them into categories like "Writing Techniques," "Marketing," and "Primary Information."

The four messy files turned into 13 skill files.

It felt like "labels had been put on my drawers."

5. Once the fuel tank was organized, the strategist began to move

My current writing flow is as follows.

Skill Files (13 items) Independent markdown files categorized by theme, such as writing techniques, image prompts, and marketing. I select and provide only what I need for the current article.

Gemini The strategist that builds the framework based on the provided information. Since no unnecessary information is mixed in, it cannot be omitted.

Claude The scribe that handles only the final touches by reading the style guide. It runs with a light load.

Why did it take me two weeks to realize something this simple?

Because I thought, "I have fuel." Even if it's messy, it's still there.

However, a strategist can only burn fuel that has been organized.

6. Yesterday's correct answer won't work today

What I keenly realized this time is that in the world of AI, the "correct answers of yesterday" do not work today.

Relying on a single tool is as risky as putting all your eggs in one basket in investing. That is precisely why I always keep my antenna up and test new weapons.

My current system is set up like this.

NotebookLM → A "memory warehouse" and "value excavator" that has ingested all my past articles and failure notes
Gemini → A "strategist" that digs deep into readers' concerns. Handles heavy research and structural frameworks Claude → A "calligrapher" that has ingested my style guide. Handles only the final polish

The moment I separated the roles of these three, my writing time changed dramatically.

"Don't be used by AI; master AI as your strategist."

This is the only math for a 45-year-old man to survive on the battlefield that is note.

The entrance to that math didn't start with how to use AI, but with organizing my own hand.

I will hand over everything in the hand of an old man fighting an 80-year mortgage in a corner of Lake Biwa.

My self-introduction is here👇

#AIUtilization #AIUtilizationTips #noteManagement #noteBeginner #notePaidArticle #NotebookLM #IceAgeGeneration #40s #SurvivalStrategy #SideHustle #StartedWithAI