Thinking Longer to Give a Better Answer
Sep 22, 2025
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Thinking Longer to Give a Better Answer
I have a friend who has what can only be described as a crush on ChatGPT. She swears by it, especially for the things “inquiring minds” want to know. Need a recipe for three random things in your fridge? ChatGPT. Trying to pick between two lawn fertilizers? ChatGPT. Trying to decide if it’s too early for pumpkin spice? ChatGPT. Can’t remember the name of the cute guy on that show? ChatGPT.
It was no surprise, as we stood in line to order coffee, that she pulled out her phone and asked ChatGPT the most pressing question of the moment: “What should our coffee order be?” Her ChatGPT went to work and flashed a message: Thinking longer to give a better answer.
We immediately launched into a hysterical discussion that had us laughing so hard we surrendered the phone to the barista so she could make what ChatGPT told us to order. How would we know it was a better answer? Would it be more caffeinated? Or less caffeinated? Maybe with sugar? Perhaps without? (One of us was on a sugar fast.) We wiped our eyes, tipped the patient barista, and sat down for what led to a deep dive.
As funny as it was, that little line was a gem: Thinking longer to give a better answer. If a chatbot, whose job is to get things done faster, can pause long enough to think longer for a better answer, what would happen if we did? Not a spiral or dragging our feet, just enough of a pause to bring in oxygen instead of anxiety.
Thinking could longer looks like…
- A pause before I but the thing I will regret later.
- A moment to ask one more curious question.
- A breath before I blurt out the fix.
- A beat to consider, “What matters here?”
That tiny bit of space can change everything. The hurried yes becomes an honest yes. The defensive reaction becomes deeper listening. Maybe the world doesn’t need our fast answers. Maybe it needs us to slow down and offer truer ones.
If a chatbot can think longer to give a better answer, so can we. Imagine the kitchens, boardrooms, classrooms and group texts if we all gave wisdom one extra beat.
That’s a revolution I want to join.
I’ll be cheering you on as you let your chatbot of choice come up with your coffee order.
Here's my book...β¨Practicing Enough
Here's my other book...β¨Staying True
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