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Comment by aerhardt | Hacker News Reader

> So far the biggest limiting factor is remembering to use it. Even people I consider power users (based on their Claude token usage) agree with the sentiment that sometimes you just forget to ask Claude to do a task for you, and end up doing it manually. Sometimes you only notice that Claude could have done it, once you are finished. This happens to me an embarrassing amount.

Yea, this happens to me too. Does it say something about the tool?

It's not like we are talking about luddites who refuse to adopt the technology, but rather a group who is very open to use it. And yet sometimes, we "forget".

I very rarely regret forgetting. I feel a combination of (a) it's good practice, I don't want my skills to wither and (b) I don't think the AI would've been that much faster, considering the cost of thinking the prompt and that I was probably in flow.

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If you're forgetting to use the tool, is the tool really providing benefit in that case? I mean, if a tool truly made something easier or faster that was onerous to accomplish, you should be much less likely to forget there's a better way ...

There's a balance to be calculated each time you're presented with the option. It's difficult to predict how much iteration the agent is going to require, how frustrating it might end up being, all the while you lose grip on the code being your own and your head-model of it, vs just going in and doing it and knowing exactly what's going on and simply asking it questions if any unknowns arise. Sometimes it's easier to just not even make the decision, so you disregard firing up the agent in a blink.

Yep! Most tools are there to handle the painful aspects of your tasks. It's not like you are consciously thinking about them, but just the fact on doing them without the tool will get a groan out of you.

A lot of current AI tools are toys. Fun to play around, but as soon as you have some real world tasks, you just do it your usual way that get the job done.

You never forgot your reusable grocery bag, umbrella, or sun glasses? You've never reassembled something and found a few "extra" screws?

Yes, but once I'm at the checkout or it starts raining, I reach for it...

> is the tool really providing benefit in that case?

Yes, much of the time and esp. for tests. I've been writing code for 35 years. It takes a while to break old habits!

Why would you want to break the habit? If you are not feeling a strong urge to use it...

Because I don't particularly like writing bulk code, but solving problems and designing things.

Our meat blobs forget things all the time. It's why the Todo apps and reminders even exist. Not using something every time doesn't mean it's not beneficial.

I really really hate this idea that you should have AI do anything it can do, and that there's no value in doing it manually.

The value is in doing the thing, how it's done is just a matter of preference and efficiency.

This is a myopic and dehumanizing way to look at it.

It really isn't. Not any more than growing your own herbs vs buying them at the market is.

Are you implying that there's no value to be found in someone growing their own herbs?

Some tasks are faster than cognitive load to create a prompt and then wait for execution.

Also if you like doing certain tasks, then it is like eating an ice cream vs telling someone to eat an ice cream.

And the waiting is somewhat frustrating, what am I supposed to do while I wait? I could just sit and watch, or context switch to another task then forget the details on what I was originally doing.

I think you’re supposed to spin up another to do a different task. Then you’ll be occupied checking up on all of them, checking their output and prodding them along. At least that’s what Anthropic said you should do with Claude Code.

If I wanted to be an EM, I'd apply for that job.

I typically just think of more ideas, prompts, etc. while I wait.

The thing is others will eat ice cream faster so very soon there'll be no ice cream for me.

Many CLI tools that I love using now took some deliberate practice to establish a habit of using them.

I resonate with your case (b). One reason why I intentionally don't use it is cases where I know exactly what code I want to write, and can thus write it quicker than I can explain it to Claude + have Claude write it.

What makes this tough is there are so many variables.

What an AI could not do last week might be possible this week.

Or maybe my prompt didn't have enough guidance.

For the time being we have to keep testing the waters.

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