[Cha Seunghui's AI Redesign Strategy] ⑪ How to Never Start with a Blank...

Three Ways to Design Your Start

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[Korea Lecturer News Columnist Cha Seunghui] You need to write something. A proposal. A report. But the cursor just blinks. Time passes in front of an empty screen with nothing on it.

Everyone has been there. And most people treat it as a problem of willpower or focus. But the real cause lies elsewhere. The way you start is poorly designed.

■ The Real Reason a Blank Screen Is Intimidating

Freezing in front of a blank screen is not laziness. From a cognitive science perspective, it is an entirely natural response.

Starting from nothing demands two things at once: thinking about what to write, and expressing it. When both tasks compete for working memory simultaneously, the brain becomes overloaded. The result is that frozen cursor moment.

The solution is straightforward. Separate the two tasks. First organize your thoughts, then begin expressing them. And AI is what makes that separation possible.

■ AI Excels at Creating the 'First Block'

The hardest moment in writing is not the first sentence. It is the state of having nothing at all. Psychologists call this "Blank Page Anxiety." The moment something appears on screen, however, the brain snaps into action — editing, adding, finding direction. Edit mode is far easier than creation mode.

This is precisely where AI delivers. The goal is not to have AI produce a finished piece in one go. It is to quickly generate raw material — a first block — to think from. It does not need to be perfectly aligned. It does not need to be polished. The difference between having something on screen and having nothing is greater than most people realize.

Do not ask for a finished piece. Ask for something to think with first.

■ Three Ways to Design Your Start

There are three concrete methods for eliminating the blank screen.

First, request the structure before the content. Before writing anything, establish the framework. "I'm planning to write about this topic. Give me three possible structures that would work well." Once the structure is visible, filling in each section becomes far easier. Instead of writing everything at once, it becomes a matter of filling in the blanks.

Second, ask for a list of questions first. When you are unsure what to write, ask AI to generate the questions. "Give me five questions a reader would want answered about this topic." With a list of questions in hand, you can write by answering each one. The ideas were always there. There was simply no entry point to draw them out.

Third, generate a rough draft first. Briefly explain the direction and conditions, then request a draft — without expecting a high level of polish. The purpose is to check whether the direction is right, identify what is missing, and rewrite it in your own voice. A draft is not the destination. It is the starting point.

■ Remove the Resistance of Starting and Your Speed Changes

All three methods share one thing in common: they do not aim for completion from the outset. The approach is to secure raw material first, then layer in your own judgment from there.

People who apply this method consistently say the same thing: "The time it takes me to get started dropped dramatically." The quality of the content did not suddenly improve. The resistance to starting disappeared. And when starting becomes easy, finishing naturally follows.

■ A Blank Screen Is Not a Problem — It Is a Signal

Freezing in front of a blank screen does not mean you have no ideas. It is a signal that you have no structure for drawing them out. AI is the tool that builds that structure quickly.

The thinking is yours. But let AI build the scaffolding first. Once that sequence becomes habit, the blank screen is no longer something to fear. It becomes a space waiting for you to begin.

▶ Next Issue Preview

Next time, we explore "The Art of Delegating a Draft." Now that you have the raw material to start with, the next step is learning how to effectively hand off draft writing to AI. We will look at specific, field-tested methods for getting the draft you actually want.

Columnist Profile

Cha Seunghui is an AI strategy expert specializing in the redesign of work and learning through AI. Going beyond simple technology adoption, she champions practical AI education that transforms the way people think and structure their work. She continues to lecture and conduct research across public institutions, universities, and corporations in the areas of AI utilization strategy, workplace innovation, and digital literacy.

She serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at Yeungnam University, and is actively engaged in educational settings as a Security-Designated Instructor for the Ministry of National Defense, an AI Instructor at Korea University of Technology and Education (KOREATECH), an AI Instructor at Line Distance Lifelong Education Institute, and a Supervising Professor at the Digital Convergence Education Institute. She also contributes to the growth of the AI industry and education ecosystem as a Research Fellow at the AI Election Strategy Research Institute, Senior Researcher and Daegu Branch Director at the GEO Marketing Research Institute, Vice President of the Korea AI Video Production Association and the Korea AI Literacy Instructor Association, and Director and Gyeongsang Chapter President of the Korea AINFT Association. She previously conducted research in intelligent robotics at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and currently serves as Chief Researcher at Near Networks Co., Ltd.

Her published works include Theory of Programming Languages, Workplace Innovation Using Generative AI, This Is GEO Marketing, AI-Powered Election Strategy, The Age of Being Recommended by GEO AI, How AI Agents Are Transforming Public Administration, and The Future Shaped by Physical AI and Agentic AI. Throughout her career, she has offered actionable insights that bridge technology and strategy. As a certified AI Education Instructor and Prompt Engineer, she is actively working to expand practical AI literacy in real-world settings.

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Columnist Cha Seunghui