Published: 2026-07-20
I use AI to generate all my code.
Some days my brain feels exercised, like a good workout. Others it feels fried and wasted.
It's a me problem, but it's not one that is out of my control. When I wrote code by hand I was lazy. I'd do a little planning and then figure out the rest during implementation.
This implementation phase gave my brain a slow drip of mental effort. None of which was difficult, but it was enough to keep my mind engaged. Now I push all the work into planning so the AI can generate good code.
Once that's done my brain starts looking for something to do. A brain with nothing to do doesn't rest. It either pushes harder or atrophies. These will burn you out or push you into depression. I found myself dealing with the latter when pressing enter after a focused morning.
All this is difficult to pilot, like steering a ship through fog. But I'm not going back to writing every line of code by hand. LLMs do the work way faster than I can. With good depth in the plan the code is good too. So now I have to find a way to use my brain daily for what it's best at: thinking.
Thinking about problems, plans, or ideas. But sometimes there is nothing in front of me to do or nothing pressing on the job. What do I do when the code is generating and the queue of work is empty?
It's become reading and writing.
Read something that will make you better at your job, your relationships, or a side project. Reading gives your brain experiences. These experiences spark ideas that wouldn't have happened otherwise.
Writing is the real brain exercise that I need. Now that the slow drip of coding is gone, my brain needs that from someplace else. I started writing back in high school when I was about 16. The "Introduction to Poetry" class sparked my love of writing. I had forgotten about that love since having children and grinding away at my software job.
If you're like me and find yourself mentally exhausted in this age of AI, you need the euphoric fatigue. The good kind of exhaustion our brains thrive on through mental effort. Find a hobby that is mentally stimulating. Writing fills that gap for me but for you it's likely different. Whatever it is, you must find it. Without it you run the risk of burnout faster than before AI started doing your grunt work.