Right now I am shipping more than I used to. Tasks that once took an afternoon take an hour, and the backlog that used to feel immovable now feels manageable. On paper, it is the dream. In practice, the motivation to sit down and start is sometimes lower than it has ever been.
AI is the reason for both of those things.
The highs are obvious. I can get from idea to working draft quickly. I can explore more options, throw away more experiments, and still end the day with progress. I am faster at the boring parts and more deliberate about the decisions that actually matter. That has made me more consistent and, in a very literal sense, more productive.
But there is a subtle low that comes with it. When the first draft appears instantly, the work can feel less like craft and more like management. I am still responsible for the outcome, but I am less connected to the steps. The momentum is high, but the emotional stake is softer. It is a strange trade.
I have noticed a few patterns:
- I feel most energized when I am solving a real problem, not just filling in gaps.
- I feel least energized when I am stitching together output that I did not directly author.
- I regain motivation when I slow down and make deliberate choices, even if that costs time.
The best days are the ones where I use AI to clear the brush and then choose a small area to work by hand. I will let it scaffold a file, but I will write the core logic myself. I will accept a suggestion, but I will rewrite the explanation in my own voice. That balance brings back a sense of ownership that pure speed can wash out.
I do not think the answer is to use less AI. The leverage is too real. The answer is to be more intentional about where I want to feel the work. If I can keep that thread of authorship, the motivation comes back. If I let everything become a prompt, the days are efficient but flat.
So yes, productivity is high. But I am learning that motivation has its own set of inputs. Speed helps, but it does not replace meaning. And I am still figuring out how to hold onto both.