Last Saturday I spent three hours implementing a coding workflow I’d read about that morning. By Sunday afternoon I’d tested it on two projects , measured the results , & decided to keep it.
Ten years ago , the same journey would have taken weeks. Buy a Getting Things Done book , set up a Bullet Journal , or learn Zettelkasten. Read it. Understand the methodology. Build the habits. Iterate through mistakes. Maybe after a month you’d know if it worked.
Something fundamental shifted. We moved from commitment-based learning to experiment-based discovery. Three recent experiments show what’s possible.
First, Paper2Agent transforms research papers into working code agents in 30 minutes to 3 hours. Ask it to implement AlphaGenome’s genomic analysis from a published paper & it processes the code, builds the environment, runs the tutorials. Previously: read the paper (2 days), understand the methodology (1 day), code the implementation (3 days). Now: point AI at the repository, get a working agent by lunch.
Second, when I discovered Google’s Agent Development Kit research on tool design patterns, I asked AI to redesign my automation tools following those principles. The result : a 41% reduction in AI operation costs, implemented while I was answering emails in another browser tab.
Third, over the weekend I read Jesse Vincent’s architect/implementer workflow via Simon Willison’s write-up. The approach splits AI coding into two sessions: one architect to design, one implementer to execute. No weeks of trial & error to understand the nuances. Read, implement, test, done.
The pattern emerging : instant implementation.
We can now test productivity systems like trying coffee drinks. Monday : architect/implementer (cappuccino—structured , classic). Tuesday : traditional single-session (flat white—simpler , maybe better?). Wednesday : hybrid workflow (chai latte—wait , is this even coffee?). By Thursday , the data shows which saves 3 hours per week.
The self-help aisle promised transformation through commitment. AI promises transformation through experimentation.