The New AI Superpowers: Focus and Followthrough

Burnout is making a comeback, but this time it comes with a strange paradox.

Conventional wisdom suggests that burnout is simply the result of overworking. Therefore, if AI tools can accelerate our output by a factor of $2\times$ to $100\times$, we should logically be underworked and completely free of stress.

The Seductive Lie of Infinite Capacity

For those in the tech world, the arrival of AI felt like a liberation. Many of us had "someday" lists overflowing with side projects that were shelved simply because there weren't enough hours in the day.

Then, tools like Claude entered the chat with a tempting promise: "You can actually do it all now."

As a repeat founder, a father, and a naturally ambitious person, I fell for it. I had a backlog of roughly 50 projects. I began sneaking in progress on these ventures during the tiny gaps between my professional obligations.

while meeting_gap == 5_minutes:
    prompt_claude(project_idea)
    execute_rapid_iteration()
    jump_to_next_call()

It actually worked. My ability to explore and write increased tenfold, which—ironically—only fueled my desire to start even more things.

"You can have anything in life, but not everything."

Despite the productivity multiplier, human time remains a finite resource. I soon found myself managing about 40 different "proof of concept" projects. I felt the familiar creep of burnout returning. I hadn't reduced my workload; I had simply used AI to create an infinite stream of make-work.

Make Work: Work assigned or done chiefly to keep one busy.

Shifting from Horizontal to Vertical

In the book Essentialism, Greg McKeown argues for the philosophy of "Less, But Better."

I realized I was using AI for horizontal expansion (doing more things) when I should have been using it for vertical depth (doing things better).

A Lesson in Quality

I almost published this very article in a rush this morning. I had another piece titled "Sesame Street Simple" that I was trying to push through the pipeline. But as I sat with it, I realized it was a "B-" effort. The topic deserved an "A+."

I decided to stop the rush and commit to several more focused revisions. This reminds me of a concept shared by Garry Tan regarding eclipses:

• A 99% Eclipse: Looks like a very bright crescent.
• A 100% Eclipse: A total transformation where night falls in the middle of the day.

The difference is only 1%, but the experience is entirely different. The products, books, and movies we truly love are those where the creator paid the price for that final 1%. Often, that last 1% of quality requires 50-90% of the total effort, which is why most people settle for "good enough."

The Path Forward

With AI handling the heavy lifting, we no longer have an excuse to skip that final 1%. The real "superpower" now is the ability to be ruthlessly focused and follow through on the few things that actually matter.

My New Action Plan:

• Stop chasing every "shiny" new idea.
• Publish fewer articles.
• Invest deeper effort into every piece of content.
• Prioritize human focus over AI volume.

The goal of offloading labor to AI wasn't to fill our lives with more tasks—it was to save time so we could focus on what truly matters and be more human.