Don’t get bot hurt. Get bot even.

It wouldn’t be January without at least one resolution we know you can keep.

So here’s ours: read Bot Hurt. (Kidding. Mostly.)

Miss a week? Fine. Come back later? Also fine. We’re not tracking streaks or sending guilt emails. This is a newsletter, not a fitness app.

Now that expectations are appropriately low, let’s talk about the tools you already have, and how to carry them into 2026.

The Bot Hurt carryover kit

Think of this as a greatest-hits album you can actually play.

Bots on the job hunt

Use this when the process gets messy, with too many tabs, too much waiting, and too many “just circling back” emails you don’t want to send.

The lesson wasn’t “let AI get you a job.” It was “reduce the friction.” Organize the chaos. Track the threads. Follow up without spiraling.

Bots on a budget

Use this when money feels fuzzy — when you know you should “look at it,” but not enough to open a spreadsheet or relive last month.

The lesson wasn’t “optimize every dollar.” It was “make things visible.” Awareness beats restriction. Clarity beats shame.

Bots for your body

Use this when motivation is gone but habits still matter — when you’re doing most things right and still feel stuck in your own head.

The lesson wasn’t “be more disciplined.” It was “quiet the noise.” Support systems work better than willpower.

Your creative era is loading

Use this whenever you’re stuck staring at a blank page, a blank doc, or a blank Sunday.

The lesson wasn’t “be creative.” It was “start smaller than your ego wants.” Drafts count. Momentum beats confidence.

Bots for your social life

Pull this out the next time you’re tired, awkward, or one unread message away from accidental ghosting.

Bots don’t replace friends. They keep relationships from quietly decaying because you forgot to reply.

The slop issues

These weren’t about dunking on bad AI. They were about judgment. Pause before you share.

Pause before you buy. Pause before you assume “the bot did it.” In 2026, this is your built-in quality filter.

Prompting matters

Anytime AI gives you mush, nonsense, or vibes instead of answers, the fix isn’t a better model. It’s a better question.

You already learned this. You just need to remember to slow down and ask again.

Plan less. Finish more. Planning isn’t about predicting the year. It’s about protecting the next small win.

How to actually use this in 2026

No binders. No color-coded life overhaul.

Try this instead:

• Pick three issues you know you’ll need again.

• Bookmark them. Screenshot them. Email them to yourself like a future-you care package.

• Decide when they come out: January slump, March burnout, holiday chaos.

That’s it.

The goal isn’t motivation. It’s retrieval.

💡 🤖 Final Bot Thought

You didn’t miss the lesson. You just stopped reusing it.

And if you’re still shopping for a resolution that sticks, we have one last suggestion: keep reading Bot Hurt. It auto-renews weekly, requires zero effort, and pairs well with coffee you already own.

Don’t get bot hurt. Get bot consistent.

Bot Talk: The “killswitch engineer” joke got real

A parody of an OpenAI job posting seeking a “killswitch engineer” made the rounds this past week, and honestly, @RhysSullivan said it best.

At a glance, the screenshot felt real enough to stop the scroll.

Then came the clarification. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman weighed in, noting that while the parody wasn’t real, they are hiring for something adjacent: a head of preparedness.

No big red button. Just people thinking carefully about risk, guardrails and when systems should stop behaving badly. Safety work isn’t dramatic. It’s paperwork, planning, and asking uncomfortable questions before something breaks.

If this whole moment nudged you toward dystopia mode, we’ve been there, too. Consider pairing this story with our earlier take on how easily the future gets framed as doom — and why it usually isn’t.

🚀 Coming up in 2026…

We joked about keeping your Bot Hurt reading resolution.

On our side, here’s what we’re quietly tinkering with for the new year: a cleaner web home, a little merch (stickers, anyone?) and a spinoff.

See you next week!

Don’t get bot hurt. Get bot even.