Tokens Are Cheap. Thinking Isn't

Why I am limiting my daily AI prompts to protect clarity and attention.

I've decided to put a limit on the number of messages I send to AI every day, and here's why.

AI has made us extremely productive. Or at least, it feels that way. We're able to make so much stuff and do so many things that it feels like we should have more free time. But that's not really what's happening. In reality, it feels like the opposite.

AI makes you feel like everyone is constantly doing more. And because of that, you feel like you also need to be doing more, all the time. If you're going out with your girlfriend, you feel like you should have an AI agent running something in the background. If you're brushing your teeth, maybe you should have already prompted something. If you're going to sleep, maybe something should still be running so you're not missing out. It slowly starts to feel like there's no other way to operate. Like if you're not doing this, you're falling behind.

But when I actually paid attention to how I was using AI, I noticed something. My efficiency drops the more I use it. The first few prompts of the day are usually very well thought out. I know what I want, I describe it properly, and the output I get feels solid. I feel in control. But as the day goes on and I keep sending more prompts, that changes.

My prompts start looking like:

• "fix this"
• "I don't like this"
• "what are you doing"

There's no clarity anymore. And because of that, even though I'm spending the same amount of tokens, the output gets worse. That makes me feel bad, and then I try to fix it by sending even more prompts. And that's when the loop starts. I feel like I have to keep going. Like I have to make it work. Like there's no other option. Everything starts to feel heavier. And before I realize it, it's time to sleep, and I'm going to bed anxious about all of this.

We talk a lot about the cost of tokens when it comes to AI. But we don't really talk about the cost on your brain. Every prompt takes something out of you. Attention, clarity, decision-making. And those don't scale the same way tokens do.

So I've decided to put a limit on it. Not because I can't afford it. Luckily, I can. But because my brain can't. I don't know what that limit looks like yet. Maybe it's five messages, maybe ten, maybe more. But the idea is simple. If there's a limit, every message has to count. I have to think before I send it.

I'm hoping this helps me get out of that loop. And maybe also get rid of this weird AI anxiety that keeps building up.