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Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

#111
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes this would be one “provisional” method among many, maybe hundreds of techniques but they all seem to lead to the same place as one gets familiar. In Buddhist Vajrayana schools this is called “non-meditation”. The ultimate instruction is to simply do nothing, but this requires a bit of initiation (and paradoxically, concentration) to get right. Michael Taft has many different guided approaches to this on his chann…

Not familiar with the infinite gamut of techniques, and yes sounds right. It is possible, there are many ways, some people are curious about this state and lean into it, most are not. Who does, or doesn’t, and when, in my experience, is matter of grace. So no need to worry about it. I see it as something that happens to me rather than caused by willpower. Much like a memory or a flashback that then transports you.

That's also my experience. It's absolutely a letting go rather than a doing; one of Michael Taft's analogies for it is "dropping the ball".

The provisional techniques are great because different techniques click for different people. Once they've seen what it is, it's easier to drop in more directly. If there's any willpower involved, it's more a subtle dropping of discursive mental commentary (especially on the process itself: I've got it - almost there - why can't I get there today - ah so this is what works, etc).

Once you're there, it feels like the most familiar and comfortable place in the world. As one of my teachers said, this is real rest.

Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

#112
same as before.

i am solving a problem, so i think (keyword) about how im doing to do that.

then i lay that out for the LLM. i have a bunch of documentation and todos etc.

i manage that and then orchestrate the ai to implement what ive asked it to do.

it is really fun!

Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

#114
post #76

I genuinely have a lot of fun coding with AI, possibly more than I used to have coding normally. It’s true that I don’t spend hours on a single problem any more, but I instead spend a lot of time thinking and researching higher level issues like architecture and design. I find this work to be very rewarding because I very much enjoy learning new things. I don’t know if I would call it a flow state in the same way tha…

100% agree. People talk as if they were paid to tap keys - not think, research, plan and provide and measured solutions to problems. I’m doing more engineering than ever, just less pointless tapping.

Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

#115
People talking about "flow" and using AI as a "tutor" are missing the point entirely. The beauty of AI is that you don't need a tutor anymore, and you don't need flow. It's like asking how best to use a combustion engine to improve your horse riding ability.

Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

#116

Here's the neat thing: you don't. I've tried, and I feel like I've got closer with faster models, but ultimately the agentic loop excludes you. Even if you're asking the agent to do simple short tasks, it's still: prompt, wait, wait, wait, check, and you never really feel like you're the one in control. The problem with faster models is also that they're more stupid, so that additionally breaks your flow when you hav…

> I feel like I'm missing a mode that works more like a pair programmer. Perhaps a multimodal model that can talk to you about what you're writing, as you write it, and offer suggestions rather than trying to take over and do everything for you. This is exactly what I have also been thinking and wanting for a while now. A realtime agent that I can share a screen and mouse / keyboard with. and we can just work togethe…

we might have already solved this tbh.

Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

#117
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I feel like I'm missing a mode that works more like a pair programmer. Perhaps a multimodal model that can talk to you about what you're writing, as you write it, and offer suggestions rather than trying to take over and do everything for you. This is exactly what I have also been thinking and wanting for a while now. A realtime agent that I can share a screen and mouse / keyboard with. and we can just work togethe…

we might have already solved this tbh.

How so? Happy to test a solution!

Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

#118
My current solution to this is to write more text. I guess I'm more in product design now. Instead of code I write documents with significantly less structure. I write something, ask the AI to find angles / decisions I missed and frame them as a long list of questions, and then I answer those questions. I iterate that until the AI can't find any more design decisions I need to make and starts generating. At that point I can turn to a different feature or project.

It's pretty exhausting to be honest. In the past I didn't have to know how the entire app was supposed to work. I would plan a bit, then code for a long time, test, plan some more. Sometimes I would get lost in some (enjoyable) architecture nonsense.

Now I just read and write regular text. Instead of exceptions I'm avoiding misunderstandings. It can almost feel like a flow state, so I have some hope that it'll turn into that once I get more used to it.

Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a flow state when using AI to code?

#120
I dont think you can get into flow easily - not talking from the dev pov but rather from growth. I find my self multi tasking like crazy and having to click yes yes yes in claude prompts :/ One way is to relax those permissions and have less interruptions. the other is to try and listen good music throughout.
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