Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

In a world where AI agents can help you ship a product before lunch, the temptation to always do more is real. But chasing that elusive "10x or 20x multiplier" isn’t sane if it’s not sustainable. Productivity without purpose is just burnout in disguise.

At NITM, we focus on technology, engineering teams, and investment; however, our points are still valid for other aspects of the startup journey.

Look at Me… You're the Manager Now

AI Agents aren’t just tools; they’re teammates. Whether you're writing code, qualifying leads, testing features, or building decks, AI is the high-output intern that never sleeps. As an engineer, being able to type out what you want and seeing it happen is magic! But here’s the catch: with great leverage comes greater responsibility. You’re not just an engineer anymore. You’re the manager of a micro-team powered by AI.

The New Engineering Stack: Manager Mode Activated

With AI at your fingertips, every engineer is now part PM, part designer, part QA, part developer:

• Product Management: Can you plan work clearly enough to delegate to AI?
• Design: Can you use design tools to make those adjustments, or whole UX/UI experiences from scratch?
• Quality Assurance: Can you spot issues AI might introduce before users do?
• Development: Can you use AI to code better and faster AND more securely, not just faster?

Chasing mythical "10-20x engineer" status might feel heroic, but long-term impact comes from balance, not burnout.

The AI Productivity Trap

Just because AI lets you move faster doesn’t mean you’re moving in the right direction. Being busy isn’t the same as being effective. Without intentionality, AI can just as easily accelerate bad decisions, poor planning, and unsustainable pace.

The Importance of Balanced Productivity

AI is a GPT (no not that GPT but a General Purpose Technology), like electricity or the internet, that reshapes everything it touches. But new foundations require new frameworks. It's not just about what you can do faster; it's about what you should do better.

So yes, AI lets you do more, faster, cheaper, better, but here’s the catch: when everything is easier to start, it becomes harder to stop. You find yourself chasing completion, not clarity. Shipping just to ship. Adding just because you can. Productivity becomes a treadmill, not a goalpost. And to be honest, it’s addictive. Engineering and other disciplines are just one part of a larger functioning whole that need to work in tandem.

This trap shows up in subtle ways:

• You crank out five features, but haven’t validated if users need even one
• You automate every task, but never revisit whether they need doing at all
• You finish a sprint early… and just start the next one with no pause or reflection

AI lowers the friction to doing, but without intention, it also lowers the bar for why you’re doing it.

And when you start measuring your success by output alone, you risk:

• Burnout masquerading as momentum
• Overengineering where simplicity was enough
• Shallow wins over strategic outcomes

So here’s your reminder: AI doesn’t set your goals: you do. Let it speed you up, but don’t let it push you past your limits.

Healthy Productivity Habits (for Humans, not Agents)

• Aim for a steady 3-5x improvement. Save the 10x sprints for moments that matter.
• Use the time AI gives back to invest in your body, mind, and spirit: yoga, the gym, nature, meditation.
• Don’t let your output balloon just because it can. Define what "enough" looks like.

A Real-Life Example

At NITM we pride ourselves on developing well-thought-out, well-architected solutions for our clients. This required setting clear goals as well as boundaries in order to deliver for multiple clients at once. In the past 2 years, with the advent of AI-assisted development, we’ve found that we end up delivering much more, more quickly. Case in point our LEBRA product, which was done within a weekend. 

We found, however, that the intense flow states lasted much longer when using AI, which led to much longer work days to deliver “more” and resulted in needing to take some time to recharge, as burnout came close to being a reality. 

Actionable Advice for Founders and Engineers

• Use AI to eliminate repetitive tasks, not to cram in more work.
• Protect creative time fiercely. It’s where innovation lives.
• Redefine team velocity: it’s not about more features, it’s about better outcomes.
• Encourage your team to use AI collaboratively, not competitively.

How We Can Help

At NITM, we blend high-output engineering with high-integrity practices. We help teams build AI-powered workflows that don’t sacrifice human sustainability. From founder coaching to team building, we help founders and teams scale thoughtfully, not frantically.

Quick Productivity Checklist

• Are you working smarter, not just faster? (Yes/No)
• Do you have clear work-life boundaries in your AI-augmented day? (Yes/No)
• Is your team using AI to reduce burnout, or accidentally fueling it? (Yes/No)
• Are your "sprints" actually sustainable—or just longer marathons? (Yes/No)

Conclusion: Take the Win. Then Take a Walk

Yes, AI can help you launch faster. But it’s not about doing more, it’s about doing what matters. Balance your ambition with rest, and remember: the best ideas usually come after the work is done.

Additional Resources

• Video: How to Use AI Agents to 10x Your Workflow – Latent Space
• Article: The 10x Developer Myth – Pragmatic Engineer
• Paper: The Productivity Effects of Generative AI – Brynjolfsson et al. (2023)
• Podcast: Lenny’s Podcast – How AI is Changing Product Management
• Guide: Mental Models for Working with AI Tools – Farnam Street
• Video: Is ChatGPT hurting our critical thinking skills? | The Take
• Video: Andrej Karpathy: Software Is Changing (Again)
• Video: The Impact of Generative AI on Workforce Productivity
• Video: AI's Impact on Productivity and Innovation
• Video: AI-Driven Productivity Scenarios

What's Next?

Got a story about over-productivity with AI? We’d love to hear how you’re navigating the shift

We have much more guidance and feedback from our real-world experiences working with various clients, AI, building products, and building sustainable startups.