That morning my account had more tools switched on than I could name, and four heavy jobs running before I was awake, on the most expensive model, making pages I never opened.
Every new chat started blind. Tell me again where we were.
So I cut everything I had not touched in two weeks. One automation, not two. A spend cap, auto-reload off. Then one folder, three small text files, and a rule: the assistant reads one tiny file first and writes one tiny file last.
Four morning runs became one. The re-explaining became a 300-token file it reads before it speaks. Most of my credits were never spent on thinking.
Habits and files, not features. Everything else is pruning.
Systems, not tools
I think in loops. Every tool switched on is a loop that runs on every message, whether you use it or not. Re-explaining yourself is an information flow that costs more than the message it carries. A morning report nobody opens is a stock that only ever fills.
The strongest leverage point is never a setting. It is the rule the system runs on. Mine is one line: read one tiny file first, write one tiny file last.
These tools amplify whatever question you bring to them. Learn the map before you lean on the machine.
Who is teaching
I'm Dan. A long career in fire shows: Cirque du Soleil, and coaching at Franco Dragone in China. Finance before that, and systems thinking through all of it. Not a programmer.
I have used these tools every day since they were any good, and every mistake in this guide I have paid for at least once, on my own bill.
Spark Creative Solutions helps creatives, changemakers and small teams use AI well. Small classes, daily contact, lessons when they are ready.
What I cut
Plugins I had not opened in a month. A second automation connector. Screenshots of my own screen. Morning reports on the most expensive model. My private life pasted into somebody else's model.
What I kept
One paid plan. One folder. Three files under 40 lines. Habits that work in any assistant. Safety rules written from my own mistakes. Plain language, multilingual.
The path
Module 1: Getting your bearings
Six lessons, one a day, about three hours in all. One assistant with a spending cap, a computer you can find your way around, a folder with three small files, and a calm method for fixing things yourself when they break. Written for Windows, with Mac notes. The first of eight.
Module 2
The next slice. One day held more than one module. Posted here first, then to the group.
The full series
Module 1 is the hook and it stays free. The series that follows is the paid part: every module as it lands, updates for as long as the series runs, and the group to ask in. One price, no subscription. I set the price when module 2 is out.
Want to be told first? Send a one-line email with the word series and your assistant of choice.
The toolkit
Everything from that day, as files. Free. Edit the lists at the top before you install anything.
Free library
The AI Resources guide, Basic Financial Awareness and a few other open documents live on my Linktree. Free to use and share. Module 1 is the newest.
The group
A small class. I'm here daily, even if it's one line. Lessons come when they're ready.
Private. Only humans may apply.
Questions
Which assistant do I need?
Any one of Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, on the standard paid tier. Never two at once. The free tiers work for the file habits.
Do I need to code?
No. You make a folder, three text files, and paste one instruction. The pulse script is optional and comes ready to run.
What does it cost?
Module 1 is free. The plan you already pay for. Everything else in the guide is free, and the first step is a spend cap.
Is my data safe?
Safer than before. Keys and passwords stay in files on your own computer. Outside models get pasted text, scrubbed, never uploads. Folders named Private stay private. The rules are in the guide and travel with it.
Which languages?
Pick yours from the row at the top. The scripts are the same in every language. There is one more hiding on this page, for readers of a certain series of novels.
Can I share it?
Yes. Free to use and share. Say where it came from.
Teaching is learning too.
Thank you for your time.