I have a confession: I reach for AI a lot these days. Not because I’m hopelessly lazy (well, maybe a little), but mostly because I’m juggling more tasks than ever before. Between work projects, side hustles, and the endless parade of little things that pop up, it’s easy to feel like I’m sprinting just to stay in place. So, when I’m overloaded and want to accomplish as much as possible, AI becomes my go-to assistant.
Honestly, it’s brilliant. I can work faster, tackle more, and even squeeze in some extra time for myself. Need a summary? AI. Tweaking some stubborn CSS? AI. Stuck on a weird error message? AI. It’s like having a super helpful friend on speed dial - always ready to lend a hand (or at least a suggestion).
But here’s the thing: sometimes, my instinct to reach for AI isn’t always warranted. It’s not just about laziness; it’s about habit. When I’m overwhelmed, my first reaction is to seek the quickest fix, and AI is usually right there, waving its virtual hand. Sometimes, that’s great. Other times, it means I skip the chance to think things through myself.
Case in point: the other day, I was troubleshooting my VPS. I wanted to change the URL of my PaaS to something more descriptive, but things didn’t go smoothly. My platform went down, and I instantly started typing up prompts for AI - whether it was through an extension, Raycast, or chat.openai.com. I spent 15 minutes reading suggestions that didn’t quite fit, before I remembered I actually knew what to do.
I paused, gave myself some space to think, and recalled the Linux commands I needed - checking logs, parsing configs, restarting services. Four minutes later, everything was back up. Turns out, when I slow down and give myself the room to think, I can solve problems without the AI crutch.
The moral? AI is an incredible tool, especially when you’re overloaded. But don’t forget your sharpest tool: your own brain. Sometimes, the best solutions come when you take a breath and trust yourself to figure it out. Next time you’re tempted to shout “Hand me that AI, please!” - try giving yourself a moment first. You might be surprised by what you can do.