The Wake-Up

Week 1: The Wake-Up

Phase 1: Awareness

George's Story

The article that did it for me wasn't even about home improvement or fintech. It was about how AI was automating customer onboarding and financing workflows faster and cheaper than any SaaS platform.

I read it on a Tuesday morning. Coffee in hand. Scrolling LinkedIn like I always did.

And something clicked.

I thought about SimpleDirect. The onboarding flows I'd spent years perfecting. The financing logic. The document processing that was the core of the platform.

I opened ChatGPT. Gave it a sample scenario. Asked it to build out a customer financing workflow for a home improvement company.

It wasn't perfect. But it was 70% there. In 30 seconds.

I closed my laptop and went for a walk. Didn't tell anyone what I was thinking. Just... walked.

That night I made a list. Everything I did in a typical week:

Initial consultations (30%)
Document prep and review (25%)
Case strategy (20%)
Form filling (15%)
Client communication (10%)

Then I marked each one: could AI do this in 2 years?

70% was red. Another 20% was yellow.

I had built my entire identity around work that was about to be commoditized.

The Point

Most people intellectually understand AI is changing things. They read the headlines. They nod at dinner parties. And then they go back to work like nothing happened.

It's not stupidity. It's self-protection. Looking honestly at your own exposure is uncomfortable. So we don't do it.

This week, you do it.

Not to panic. Not to make any decisions. Just to see.

You can't navigate what you won't look at.

What I Want You to Feel

By the end of this week, record a time-weighted estimate of the tasks you want to investigate, with the assumptions behind it.

"X% of my time is spent on tasks I have flagged for testing."

That number might be scary. It might be lower than you expected. Either way, you'll have something most people don't: clarity.

And clarity is the starting point for everything else.

This Week's Tasks

Day 1 — The Article (15 min)

Find ONE news article about AI and work that made you feel something. Not political — about business, technology, jobs.

Read it slowly. Sit with it.

Reflect: Share the link + answer:

A) Anxious — the ground is shifting
B) Angry — why isn't anyone taking this seriously?
C) Numb — I know it's real but can't feel it
D) Motivated — finally, a reason to move
E) Something else

"The line that hit me hardest was: ______"

Day 2 — Community (5 min)

Re-read your Day 1 article notes. Compare one claim with its source and record what resonated or remains uncertain. You may discuss it with someone you trust; no forum is provided.

Day 3 — The Audit (20 min)

List every task you do in a typical work week. Not your job title — the actual tasks.

"Review reports." "Lead standups." "Write documentation." "Email stakeholders."

Aim for 15-20. Be specific.

Then mark each:

🔴 RED: A current trial met your stated acceptance criteria on a substantial part of this task
🟡 YELLOW: Partial help, mixed results or an untested assumption
🟢 GREEN: No demonstrated acceptable substitute in your tests so far

The rule: Record the tool/version, date, task, acceptance criteria and observed failures or review effort. An untested belief stays an assumption; a green label does not certify future safety.

"If I knew this job would change dramatically in 3 years, what would I do differently starting Monday?"

Reflect (optional): Share your answer.

Week 1 Complete

If you finished 4+ days, your streak continues.

Next: Week 2 — The Grief