Mermaid diagrams are even better because you don't waste characters on the visual representation but rather the relationships between them. It's the difference between
graph TD
User -->|Enters Credentials| Frontend[React App]
Frontend -->|POST /auth| API[NodeJS Service]
API -->|Query| DB[(PostgreSQL)]
API --x|Invalid| Frontend
DB -->|User Object| API
API -->|JWT| Frontend
Mermaid diagrams automatically render on Markdown and IDE chat windows as in VSCode or Cursor. So you get the best of both worlds, a graph you can look at a ND manipulate with the mouse but also in a format LLMs can read.
FWIW, I do aim for inbox-zero for email, and similar for chat apps (Slack/Teams). Otherwise it piles up and gets overwhelming. I'm referring more to things like - "only the exact thing you're currently working on open" part. I agree systems are needed. For me it's Obsidian for notes, inbox zero, and OneTab extension to allow me to remove tabs without fear of "losing" them completely. I've learned that it's also a trap to over-complicate my system, even something like Todoist which is fairly minimal was semi-problematic, although I may come back to it - just using manual TODO checklists in Obsidian with a small table that pulls them all into a single dashboard file for reference.
Subsidized plans that are only for their Agent (Claude Code). Fine tuning their models to work best with their agent. But it's not much of a moat once every leading model is great at tool calling.
I do think Claude Code as a tool gave Anthropic some advantages over others. They have plan mode, todolist, askUserQuestion tools, hooks, etc., which greatly extend Opus's capabilities. Agree that others (Codex, Cursor) also quickly copy these features, but this is the nature of the race, and Anthropic has to keep innovating to maintain its edge over others
The biggest advantage by far is the data they collect along the way. Data that can be bucketed to real devs and signals extracted from this can be top tier. All that data + signals + whatever else they cook can be re-added in the training corpus and the models re-trained / version++ on the new set. Rinse and repeat.
(this is also why all the labs, including some chinese ones, are subsidising / metoo-ing coding agents)
(I work at Cursor) We have all these! Plan mode with a GUI + ability to edit plans inline. Todos. A tool for asking the user questions, which will be automatically called or you can manually ask for it. Hooks. And you can use Opus or any other models with these.
And running the marathon is just running the marathon? I disagree. Big part of running the marathon is in the preparation. Weeks after weeks of training and not skipping a single session. The marathon itself is the tip of the iceberg; important but not the whole "thing".
There are some things that you just can't do without preparation. But never mistake the preparation for doing the thing. You can be "getting in shape for a marathon" forever without ever running a marathon.
But as a metaphor for other creative pursuits, my experience is that most of the time when people are "planning" or working on other things that they like to believe will help them do the thing... they are really just avoiding doing the thing.
People spend years doing "world-building" and writing character backgrounds and never write the damn book. Aspiring musicians spend thousands collecting instruments and never make a song.
As you say, if it's just for fun, that's all fine. But if the satisfaction you want comes from the result of the thing, you have to do the thing.
I’d beg my dad to drive me to them on a Friday night. Great times!
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