# The Overachiever’s Cheat Code: How AI Helps Me Do 3x (or 10x) More By [Hard Mode First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz) · 2025-02-21 ai, technology, startups, tempo, pacing --- One of the things that I aspirationally like to tell people about prolific AI usage is that it can buy them time. This has almost certainly been the case for me. As a lifelong overambitious, overachiever, I've nearly always been stuck in a loop of wanting to do more than is humanly possible. Artificial intelligence has completely changed the game for people like me for three reasons: ### **I can do more with less.** At least 3x more. Maybe even 10x more. It's hard to say exactly how much more yet, but it's profound enough that I have been able to have the output of the equivalent of two full-time jobs, just as a single person. ### **I can get to weird v1s without permission.** I've always been the kind of person who works in piles and thinks in paragraphs. That is to say, I’ve historically struggled to translate the concept in my head into a framework that others can easily grasp. AI changes the game in two key ways: I can build a prototype on my own, and I can use AI to help me explain my ideas to more rational, linear-thinking humans. 1. **Being Able to Build without Objection** Many of my ideas involve confusing combinations or mash-ups that require a lot of explanation (or patience) from humans. For example, I recently used AI to map out a 20-year career plan. But I didn’t want a generic framework—I wanted something personal, something that reflected _me_. So, in addition to training a custom GPT on my resume and career goals, I also trained it on the _entire_ lyrical library of _Hamilton_. Because yes, I want my career coach to ask me if I’m acting more like Alexander Hamilton or Aaron Burr. If I were to ask a human, "Should I build a career coach app trained on _Hamilton_?" a normal, rational person would almost certainly say, _"Absolutely not."_ I probably would have been convinced by one or more well-meaning people that it was a total waste of time. But, without the technical ability to bring that concept to light on my own, I also would never have been able to see for myself _why_ it was a good or bad use of my time. A double frustration. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/c1e11875ce040717a2f1d90ec8e5571a.webp) An Alexander Hamilton inspired career coach, concept rendered by Flux. No notes. LOL. Of course, unlike a human, AI never says no to me. No idea is too weird, too combined, or too niche. The process of having an objective third-party simply let my fringe niche thoughts exist while enabling me to see them through has been game-changing. 2. **Being Able to Use AI to Intermediate and Explain Myself Better to Other Humans** The biggest value I get from AI in writing isn’t in ideation, outlining, or even the initial creation. It’s in _distillation_—the ability to refine and articulate complex thoughts with clarity. When I run a blog post through AI, I spend less time fussing over individual sentences and more time focusing on transitions and _buttery_ language. Using AI as an interpretation layer—whether between humans or between human and machine—is an incredibly powerful concept once you learn how to unlock it. [I’ve explored a few different strategies with this approach](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/Yc9qECqjFG64fxlEoS3Y), and I continue to believe AI will help us all find common ground and communicate more effectively. ### **I can (finally) get ahead of myself.** With a lot of project work, there's the idea (the easy part) an there's the execution (where the rubber meets the road). In a pre-AI world, I'd conceptualize a new idea, daydream about it forever, and ultimately get a little sad that I didn't have time, the resources, of the manpower to make it happen. Sometimes that frustration would boil over so much that I'd suffer through and do it anyway, often at the expense of my own physical or mental health. Then I'd hit burnout mode, have a hard reset, and do it all again. With AI, I get the experience the creative satisfaction of _completing something_ (whether it's a blog post, or [building a new micro-app](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/how-and-why-to-start-making-stuff-for-people-on-the-internet)) almost every day. That I can get AI-powered v1s, and then use AI to also push quickly through iterations all on my own, is how I finally feel like I've been able to juggle the many, many lowkey fantasies I've been holding inside for years. Now, once I get to the v1, or the v2, I can move the goalposts along and build momentum and traction on these weird new things–whether that's [rebranding a block association](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/M9BfzgBsBbj0lkdEzoOM) or dipping in and out of NYC museums [making scavenger hunts for kids](https://musekat.com/museums). * * * The Downside of Hyper-Efficiency -------------------------------- As I've written about, [productivity is a drug for overachievers like me](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/9XTLNcnnslhLXzrut1Jx). I get that. I know. There's a massive risk of moving _way_ too fast. Or getting so far down one path without any human input that you suddenly find yourself out in space building for aliens (metaphorically speaking). One of the things I've been thinking a lot about in building an AI-native business is the idea of tempo and human feedback. I think any builder today should be asking themselves these two questions: 1. **What parts of my business demand that I move as fast as possible?** These are things where AI can help you supercharge and keep moving. These could be decisions you make about what you need to do to lock in defensibility, build and prototype rapid iterations, stay market relevant, catch some trend, or stay one step ahead of the competition. That AI can power an internal culture of rapid iterations and quick synthesis is a very helpful thing, when harnessed correctly. 2. **What parts of my business would be better off in the long run by moving slowly?** These could be things where injecting a little bureaucracy or "human in the loop" feedback to slow things down is actually a good thing. Maybe on decisions that require a little more thought (ie: ethical consideration), or care (ie: working with specialized audiences or user groups), or love (ie: building the best brand or culture book possible). I think it's a mistake to move at warp speed at all costs—even when it's possible. But we're also living and working in an era where dragging our feet isn't an option either. I'm especially curious about how startups are pacing their AI adoption. Their approach might offer early clues about which jobs remain most essential for human input in the months and years to come. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/0d57f7512b7adba4654d5e82f75f9bad.webp) Sort of what it's like to build with AI (image source: Flux) --- *Originally published on [Hard Mode First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/the-overachievers-cheat-code-how-ai-helps-me-do-3x-or-10x-more)*