I'm Using Less AI in My Day-to-Day Coding Workflow

Here’s Everything You Need To Know, And Why

There’s a strange moment every developer hits.

You open your laptop, fire up your AI coding agent, give it a task and then you just sit there.

Scrolling X.

Replying to a DM.

Watching a reel your friend insisted you “have to see.”

And you tell yourself you’re being productive.

Because technically your AI is “working.”

A few weeks ago, a research paper dropped that brutally broke this illusion for me.

And yes, here’s the pdf link btw: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.09089

It measured how much faster developers actually become when using AI to solve bugs.

What it revealed made me rethink my entire coding workflow.

Today’s email is that story.

Not to convince you to use less AI.

But to help you use it consciously and avoid the trap I fell into.

Read slowly. This might shift how you code forever.

The Paper That Punched Me in the Face

Here’s the link again: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.09089

Researchers gathered a group of open-source developers (real ones), not beginners.

They split them into two groups:

• Group A: Fix the bug using AI coding tools

• Group B: Fix it manually

The results?

The developers without AI solved the bugs faster.

But the twist?

The AI group (i.e. group A) felt more productive.

They believed they solved the bug faster.

They didn’t.

Their brains just tricked them into thinking they did.

That psychological disconnect is the entire point of this issue.

Why AI Makes You Feel Fast (Even When You’re Slow)

Debugging is painful.

Digging through code.

Tracing logic.

Reading every dull variable name you wrote at 2.49 AM six months ago.

So when an AI agent starts crawling your codebase, even slowly. It gives you relief.

Your brain goes:

“Huhh Nice! Someone else is doing the annoying part.”

And while the AI works, you do… whatever.

Even if the AI takes longer than you would.

Even if you end up re-explaining things ten times.

Even if you’re waiting more than you’re building.

Varun Maya in one of his videos called this vibe waiting.

Pretty funny name, right? 😅

You still feel productive because you’re not the one struggling.

This is the same psychological loop people fall into when:

• They create “Notion systems” instead of doing the real work

• They optimize their workflow instead of writing a single line

• They watch “productivity videos” while procrastinating

In psychology, it’s called Effort Illusion—mistaking effort adjacent activities for real progress.

AI gives you the most sophisticated version of that illusion ever created.

My Peak AI Usage Was Actually My Slowest Phase

I went through a phase where I didn’t write a single line of code.

Big feature? AI handles it.

Small tweak? AI handles it.

Tiny CSS adjustment? AI handles it.

Looking back, it slowed me down massively.

Here’s why:

AI is great at sweeping, structural changes.

But for the last 10–20%, it struggles. Badly.

And I kept forcing it to fix the last 20%.

It took hours. Sometimes days.

While I waited.

Scrolling.

Procrastinating.

Feeling weirdly productive.

If I had done it manually, it would’ve taken 20–40 seconds.

That’s when it hit me:

AI wasn’t slowing my workflow. I was the one who’s slowing my workflow.

By letting AI do the parts I was already good at.

Two Changes That Made Me Fast Again

I didn’t quit AI.

I just changed how I use it.

Number One: For big, unclear features → AI starts, I finish.

AI drafts the beginning.

I do the final 20%.

That last 20% is usually the part I can’t articulate in plain English anyway.

Doing it myself saves time and keeps my intuition sharp.

Number Two: For big, clear features → I restrict AI ruthlessly.

Instead of asking AI for the whole feature:

I give it one tiny step at a time.

Not:

“Build the entire dashboard.”

But:

“Add a toggle button. No styling changes. Use this syntax. Match this format. Only modify these files.”

This makes me the architect and AI the mechanical hand.

I’m still coding, just through plain English.

AI handles the typing.

I handle the thinking.

This is what people think “AI coding” is supposed to be.

But you only reach this level when you stop outsourcing your entire brain.

So Here’s the Real Question for You

Are you actually being productive?

Or are you letting your AI agent work

…just so you can feel good watching it work for you?

Be honest with yourself.

This isn’t about guilt.

It’s about clarity.

The point of AI isn’t to help you avoid thinking.

It’s to help you think better and ship faster.

When used consciously, AI turns you into a 10x developer.

When used blindly, it turns you into a project manager waiting for updates.

The difference is intention.

A Simple Rule for Your Next Coding Session

Use AI where it removes friction.

Use your brain where it adds speed.

If a task is:

• Ambiguous → let AI start

• Straightforward → do it yourself

• Clear but repetitive → give AI tiny, tight instructions

• Nuanced → finish it manually

This one rule alone can improve your velocity by 30–60% instantly.

It did for me.

Before You Go, A Small Ask!

(You’ll like this one.)

If this issue made you pause, even once share it with one developer friend who needs this reminder.

Codexai grows because of people like you—curious, honest, reflective.

And if you’re new here: stick around.

This newsletter is only getting sharper.

See you next week.

Manas 🥂

Founder, Codexai