How Machine Learning Principles Can Help Us Reach Our Goals
Good decisions compound over time—just like compound interest does
Hello Neuro Evolution Community,
So I've been thinking... We can apply AI algorithms to our life and it can teach us something useful to be 1% better than yesterday.
Sounds weird, I know. But hear me out.
The Art of Small Corrections
There's this thing in AI called backpropagation. Fancy name, simple idea: after every attempt, look back and ask what worked, what didn't, and what to adjust.
It's basically what we do when cooking, right? Taste the sauce, think "needs more salt... maybe some garlic," and adjust. You're not starting over—just tweaking.
I started doing this with my days. Nothing crazy, just a quick check-in at the end of my day:
What went well?
What needs improvement?
One takeaway for tomorrow?
A few weeks ago, I realized I'm way sharper in the early morning before my son wakes up. Like, dramatically sharper. So now I tackle the hard stuff then. Small shift, big difference.
Try this: Tonight, just ask yourself—if today was a recipe, what’s one ingredient you would adjust tomorrow?
Finding Your Sweet Spot
Here's where it gets interesting. Machine learning has this concept called gradient descent—it measures the slope (yes, that derivative from calculus actually comes in handy) to find the best path to your goal without overshooting.
Picture this: You're experimenting with a new recipe. Add pomegranate molasses drop by drop? You'll be there forever. Dump in the whole jar? Now you're desperately trying to fix it with more of everything else.
The trick is finding that middle ground—enough to make progress, not so much you can't course-correct. And just like gradient descent uses the slope to guide its path, we can use our intuition and feedback to find our best direction.
This applies to... well, everything:
Want to meditate? Start with 1 minute, not 30
Learning AI tools? Master one feature before moving to the next
Building habits? Add them to something you already do
We either play it so safe that nothing changes, or try to revolutionize our entire life overnight. Neither works.
Something to Try This Week
Here's what's been working for me: each day, I jot down one - three things that went well and one thing I'd adjust. That's it. No complex system, no app, just a note in my phone. At the end of the week, I reflect on my progress and then have 1 takeaway for the following week.
It's like running a gentle optimization loop on your life. In agility, it’s known as retrospective. Not trying to become a different person overnight, just getting a tiny bit better.
Look, I'm not saying we need to turn into robots or optimize every second of our day. That sounds exhausting.
But there's something powerful about realizing that growth doesn't have to be this dramatic, all-or-nothing thing. Sometimes the best changes happen so gradually you barely notice—until one day you realize you're handling things that used to stress you out without even thinking about it.
Maybe that's what we can learn from AI: consistent small adjustments in the right direction can take us places we never imagined. And unlike algorithms, we get to define what "better" means for ourselves.
We have 6 months left until the end of the year! Don’t wait until January of 2026 to “Start your goal”.
Anyway, hope this gives you something to think about and hope this helps!
P.S. If this resonated, feel free to forward it to someone who might need to hear that growth doesn't have to be dramatic to be real.
Stay curious, experiment, and let’s build the future together! 🧠 🔍