Ask your AI where the time went
6 October 2026 · 2 min read
What happened
For two days, two AI assistants built my game while I was at work and asleep. One wrote each piece, the other checked it, and nothing went in until both were happy. It sounded careful. It felt slow.
After two days, only 20 of the 76 pieces were done. So I asked one of the AIs to read back through every log and tell me where the time had gone.
Across about 85 hours of AI work, 31% went on building. Reviewing took 29% and fixing took 20%. The rest was running checks, setting up and waiting. Most of the effort went on proving the work, not making it. One fix of just two lines set off an hour of checks, and then the same hour again.
Before and after
Asking how it’s going
“Why is this taking so long?”
→ You get a polite, reassuring paragraph. Nothing to act on, and no idea which part to change.
Asking for the split
“Go back through everything you’ve done on this. Split the time into making, checking, fixing and waiting. Give me rough numbers for each, and the three biggest time sinks.”
→ You get a short list you can act on. Mine showed the checking was the problem, so the heavy checks now run overnight and the evenings are for making.
Why it works
Ask a vague question and AI gives a vague, cheerful answer. Ask for categories and numbers and it has to look at what actually happened.
Treat its numbers as rough. It can only count what it can see, so check anything that surprises you before you change how you work.
This tip started as a post on X.
Previous tip
Ask your AI which of your instructions it didn’t follow
AI sometimes decides it knows better and quietly bends your rules. One line at the end of your request brings those choices into the open.
Read itWant the basics?
The free lessons
Longer, step-by-step pages for getting started with AI in everyday life.
Start with the lessons