Are AI tools actually making us more productive or just giving us more ways to procrastinate?
I've been using AI tools for everything lately; writing, coding, design, research. On paper, they should be massive productivity boosters. Instead of spending hours on tasks, I can get decent results in minutes.
But I'm starting to notice a weird pattern. I spend way too much time tweaking prompts, trying different AI tools for the same task, and comparing outputs. Sometimes I'll spend 30 minutes getting the "perfect" AI generated result when I could've just done it myself in 20 minutes.
There's also this temptation to use AI for everything, even simple tasks that don't need it. Like I ask ChatGPT to write a two sentence email instead of just writing it lol.
The productivity gains are real when I use AI intentionally. But it's easy to fall into this trap where you're optimizing the optimization tools instead of actually working. Plus every new AI tool promises to be a game changer, so you end up constantly testing instead of sticking with what works.
How are you actually using AI tools? Are you seeing genuine productivity gains, or do you find yourself getting distracted by trying to perfect your AI workflow?
Replies
Serand
I totally relate. When I use AI tools with a clear goal, they save me a ton of time. But when I go down the rabbit hole of “perfect prompts,” I lose track of the actual task. Intentional use is key for me.
@maali_baali yeah its really a fine balance, you want a good output but you also have to weigh in how much extra time thats taking because we unconciously disregard that since we assume AI is obviously going to save us time.
Premarket Bell
Honestly, I think it comes down to discipline. AI tools are amazing, but it’s easy to let them take over. I found myself rewriting AI’s version of my original idea for hours, basically wasting time. I now treat it like an assistant: it can give me a head start, but I do the heavy lifting. That mindset helps me avoid the rabbit holes.
@daniel_henry4 Thats a good way to do it. Sometimes we get lost due to the sheer amount of possiblities with AI but youre right, using it to assist is the best use case.
I've experienced this too AI turns into a distraction disguised as productivity. I used to feel guilty using it even for small tasks but then I overcorrected and used it for everything. Now I ask myself: " Will AI actually save me time here?" If not, I skip it.
@maryam_nafees1 yes it does start out as just for small guidance but then it seems to evolve into being used for literally everything because I think we get addicted to how easy it is. Thats a good practice to stop and question yourself before using it sounds like it would definitely help.
Yeah, Sahil, same here — you try thousands, but in the end, you only stick with a few. How many are you using now?
@eliza_pogorilska youre right. Currently im mainly sticking to Claude and ChatGPT. At one point I was bouncing ideas back and forth from 4 different AIs at a time and it was just unesscessary.