Repeat, Then Reshape
Sometimes reuse is how the structure starts
I’ve always been drawn to ways of not solving the same problem twice. That used to mean grabbing snippets off StackOverflow and adjusting them to fit. Lately I’ve been experimenting with AI in a similar way- not to get the right answer, but to see where the structure might start to form.
I came across a short video that splits developer laziness into two types- one that builds reusable systems, and one that leans on AI to offload the first pass.
The distinction makes sense, but in practice I’ve found the second can support the first. Even when the output isn’t right, it gives me something to respond to- a shape to revise or discard. That tension is probably what moves the real solution forward more often than the output itself does.
Most of my systems start there- something repeats in a way that feels wrong to repeat again, and that’s where the instinct kicks in.
Used well, I think that kind of laziness doesn’t cut corners. It just refuses to leave the friction untouched.