Falling For Claude

The first time I really got Claude Code hooked up and dialed in, it was a dream. I was able to create anything I wanted in seconds. A music discovery app. A running companion. A custom todo list. No need to plan, no need to take breaks - everything I needed was right there waiting for me to ask the question and press “Accept”. It’s been great. I’ve created some cool apps and learned a ton about how to work in the world of generative AI. But more and more my lunch breaks, evenings and weekends are pulling me to my machine. Claude’s weekly and session limits make it tempting to jump in anytime - you have to spread it out, so when is it your downtime?

I think I just realized it, actually. I’m sitting at the island in my kitchen. Front door open. Perfect weather outside. Nice breeze coming in. I can hear my kids playing outside with the neighbors. I see laundry and dishes piled up. Weeds starting to take over the yard and real, physical projects I was looking forward to but haven’t touched. We have amazing hikes nearby. Friends out getting coffee together. But here I am, trying to prompt Claude to write me a FastAPI app that would solve a tiny problem that’s not even really a problem.

Why, all of a sudden, is that hard to keep up with? I’m supposed to be able to do more than ever, thanks to AI. But the always-on temptation of creating whatever you want at any time is too much for my willpower. Actually, I don’t think it’ s even about willpower. Claude is a tool that can build your dreams - why wouldn’t you want to build as fast as possible?

When you’ve got an AI session going on, it’s so easy to get sucked in. Without it, your brain just gets tired and you realize you need a break. With AI, the barrier is so low, just 5 more minutes is easy enough. And then when that iteration doesn’t quite work, maybe another 5-10 minutes? Suddenly it’s time to make dinner and your Saturday just went to shit.

“Productivity”. Doing something fast just means you have time to do more stuff fast.

Out with friends? Use Claude’s remote control. Schedule some tasks. Maybe even ideate with Claude during your kids’ Black History Month concert.

So I’m closing my laptop to go for a run. Finding work-life balance is tough, but weekends with small kids are precious and I don’t want Claude quietly stealing that from me anymore.