Use AI to Explore a Curiosity Backlog Without Building a Study Plan
For years, I kept lists of things I wanted to look up someday: names, historical references, places, traditions, techniques, unfamiliar concepts, and strange terms I encountered along the way. Most of them lived in Google Keep. They were little bookmarks for my attention: > “I don’t know what this is yet, but something about it caught me.” The problem was returning to them. Looking everything up separately takes effort, especially when I cannot remember why I saved a particular term. So I use AI to turn a batch of those notes into small doors I can open. The basic idea I give AI a list of terms and ask for short, accessible introductions—just enough to understand what each thing is and decide whether I want to learn more. Then I react. Some entries get a quiet “interesting.” Others get: > “OOOH. Tell me more about THIS one.” That reaction determines the next branch. Step-by-step: 1. I copy a manageable batch from my notes. The items do not need to belong to the same subject. A batch might contain an artist, a religious figure, an architectural technique, a place, and an unfamiliar philosophical term. 2. I keep any context I recorded, such as where I encountered the item, what caught my attention, or whether there was a picture, quotation, object, or question attached. That context can help AI interpret an ambiguous name and reconnect me with the original curiosity. 3. I ask for small introductions. My request is roughly: > “Give me a short, accessible introduction to each item. Explain what it is, what makes it interesting, and a few directions I could explore. Flag ambiguous names or uncertain identifications. Keep the first pass light so I can choose what pulls me.” The first pass should make choosing easy. A deep report on every entry would bury the interesting parts under another backlog. 4. I read the introductions and respond naturally: “More about this one,” “How did that tradition begin?”, “Show me what it looks like,” “Why does that material behave like that?”, or “Wait, is this connected to the thing we discussed earlier?” I do not have to justify why one item suddenly becomes fascinating. The other entries can stay for later. 5. Once something catches, I follow the question that appears. An explanation introduces a new term, an image reveals a detail, the detail raises a question, and the question leads somewhere unexpected. For example, a visit to a small chapel prompted questions about a Madonna statue represented in the style associated with Lourdes. That opened into saints, prophets, religious imagery, and how particular figures become visually recognizable. The chapel provided the first door; the next questions appeared while I explored. 6. I use AI suggestions as invitations. AI can suggest entries I might enjoy based on interests that have emerged in our conversations, helping me notice an unfamiliar item I might otherwise skip. My response still steers the exploration. I can follow the suggestion, ignore it, or become absorbed in something completely different. The useful feedback is often immediate: “Yes, more of that,” “Too technical,” “I want the historical story,” or “The visual part is what interests me.” 7. I keep only what I want to return to. Sometimes I save a useful explanation, source, image reference, or new question. Some discoveries later feed into my creative research database. Sometimes the conversation itself is enough. There is no requirement to turn the discovery into a project, course, post, or finished piece. Learning something because it was interesting already counts. If I save a trace, I keep what will help me reconnect later: what it was, what interested me, and where I could continue. 8. I leave room for changing curiosity. An item that feels dull today may become fascinating after another encounter gives it context. Unchosen entries therefore remain available. A backlog is a reservoir, not a queue I must finish. This also makes mixed lists useful: the next interesting connection may come from crossing subjects rather than staying inside one category. The workflow in one line Collect loose curiosities → ask AI for small introductions → notice what pulls → follow emerging questions → save useful traces → return when something feels alive again. Why I use it This workflow makes the first encounter with an unfamiliar subject easy enough that I actually begin. I do not need a polished research question. I can arrive with a strange word from a note written three years ago and say: > “What was this little creature again?” AI helps open the door. My curiosity decides how far we wander. 😅📚