When it comes to using AI, be like Luke

I love using AI coding tools. As someone who definitely gets their money’s worth, I feel more productive than ever.

But sometimes, just like Obi-Wan told Luke, you need to let go.

Control the instinct to reach for AI all the time.

Trust yourself.

Yes, AI can help you ship faster. I feel that too. But if every hard problem is handed off to a tool, you slowly lose the feel for the craft. The ability to reason through a problem, explore the codebase, and figure things out.

One way I like to mix things up is through Software Craftsmanship meetups.

At my local Cambridge meetup, we sometimes pair up and work through coding activities using good old pair programming.

The last time I did this, we switched off the AI completely and just enjoyed solving the problem together.

No copilots. No prompts. Just thinking, experimenting, and learning.

And that’s the thing. Sometimes stepping away from the tools reminds you why you enjoyed programming in the first place.

Stretch those muscles. Don’t become stiff and stale.