Field report
The Constraint Is the Feature
Three scripts bring my notes, tasks, and check-ins together so I can pick up without rebuilding the day from memory.
Ryan Lee Johnson
AI tools and shortcuts to help you type less and pick up where you left off
Worksheet
The Bandwidth Snapshot: Three Questions to Calibrate the Day
Look back on one day. Use three questions to choose what to change next time.
Library
AI Shortcuts Grid: 14 Starting Points
Pick a prompt to shorten an email, make a choice, or find the first step.
Also on the front page
Essay
Brain Fog, Coffee, and a Useful Analogy
What a slow computer taught me to notice about brain fog before I reach for more coffee.
Field report
Give the AI a Clear Definition of Done
Read how clear done conditions changed AI coding sessions, where test-first work helped, and why the amount of preparation still needs to fit the task itself.
Workflow
Energy-First Morning Reset Workflow: Stabilize in 10 Minutes
Take ten minutes to get set up on a foggy morning. Check your energy, write one task you can do today, and put that task in the name of an alarm.
Make everyday work easier
Field report
Fewer Missed Clicks, Less Recovery Work
Read how keyboard and voice shortcuts reduced the work after a missed click, with notes on the fallback card, quiet rooms, and the limits of the old setup.
Essay
Saving an Article Is Only Half the Job
See why a saved article needs more than a link, what an older summarization setup kept for later, and why its recorded results need their historical context.
Library
Low-Energy Systems Map
Use this low-energy systems map to find pages that reduce recall, typing, planning, and restart friction when attention or energy is limited.
Practical tools
Browse workflowsPrompt
Task Breakdown to First Action Prompt
Break a large task into up to five visible steps with effort labels, a tiny first action, and a stopping point you can save and return to later.
Workflow
Context Recovery Workflow: Restart Work in Minutes
Find your place after a break. Save the file path, what you did, and one next step. If you left without a note, use file history to build one.
Workflow
Text Expansion Workflow: Type Less, Communicate More
Set up short codes for text you type often, such as links or replies. Type one code to fill in the full text, and test it before you need it.
Library
Prompt Selection Map
Use this prompt selection map to choose the smallest prompt for summarizing, deciding, rewriting, planning, comparing, or learning without prompt thrash.
Creative work
Essay
Making Images Without Fighting the Controls
Read how voice-guided prompts made image creation more approachable when precise drawing was difficult, and where review and manual finishing still mattered.
Field report
Building Rockit in a Weekend
Read what building Rockit in a weekend revealed about batch processing, fragile song selection, and why rhythm-game pipelines need strict filtering.
Workflow
Screenplay to Audio Generation
Turn a script into audio clips with ElevenLabs. Check the lines and voices before you send the script, then save the clips, captions, and Reaper file.
Learn by doing
Browse lessonsLesson
Designing for Low-Energy Days
Make a one-page guide for low-energy days. Show where to start, when to stop, and what to save so you can return without reading the whole chat again.
Lesson
Defining Done Before Starting
Write one sentence that says what done looks like. Add checks someone can run before they accept the work. Use the checks to keep new work out of scope.
Lesson
Documenting a Workflow So Others Can Use It
Write a one-page guide that shows someone how to run, check, and stop an AI workflow. Test the guide by asking someone to start from the saved steps.
More from the Blog
Give an Agent Loop a Small Job
Explore a narrow agent loop: one editable file, a repeatable check, and saved progress, with practical limits on what a score can tell you about the result.
Code as Gardening
Use the gardening metaphor to name a small code-maintenance task, with illustrative examples and clear limits on what the comparison can actually establish.