I now spend my evenings with Claude Code instead of a box set. On day 2139 of my daily barefoot-style running streak, I want to be honest about what this looks like and whether I should be worried.

Claude Code is the closest thing I have to Netflix right now. I watch far less television than I used to. When I sit down, I open Claude Code and build something. Most people binge a series. I binge a build.

For anyone unfamiliar, Claude is the AI model made by Anthropic. Claude Code is the part of Claude that writes software. I have no formal coding knowledge. I describe what I want in plain, conversational English, and Claude Code turns my description into working code. I am still amazed by how complex the results are, given how simple my instructions are.

The one downside is the waiting. You give Claude Code a problem and then watch it work through the options. Sitting there feels like dead time. My fix is to run three projects at once. While one is thinking, I move to the next. I rotate between the three through the evening. Running this way needs a Max plan, otherwise I burn through my usage limits too quickly. That is a real cost, and I weigh it against the time I save.

Here is what I have built so far. I started with improvements to my leadership dashboard. From there I built an inbound communications tracker. Paid software exists for this job, and companies charge subscription fees for it. I had a working version for my own use in about half a day. I also built compliance trackers for our properties. They hold the certificates we need and send alerts before anything expires. They link to our email inbox through Google, and an Airtable database sits underneath. Everything pulls from one central place.

I want to be careful here. A half-day build for my own use is not the same as a finished product. I see potential to turn some of this into something other people pay for, but nothing is for sale today and I make no promises. My aim is to own more of what I run on, so I can adjust, tweak and iterate without waiting on someone else's roadmap.

Is this an addiction? I asked myself that, and I use a few checks to answer.

First, does the running streak stay safe? Nothing replaces the daily run. Second, are sleep and family time protected? If I trade those for another hour of building, I have lost the plot. Third, does the work move a real priority forward, or am I building because building is enjoyable? Three projects at once is my ceiling. More than that and I stop finishing anything.

I will also admit something. Part of my motivation is fear of falling behind. I am an entrepreneur who worries about missing the next shift. Using these tools to their full capability makes me feel I am staying level with the change. That is a fair motive, but I do not treat it as proof that every hour spent is well spent.

Where I land is this. Swapping television for building is a trade I am comfortable making. The work used to feel arduous and dull. Now I see results appear in front of me in a fraction of the time. Work like this once cost tens of thousands of pounds. That gap is too large for me to ignore, and my team is learning alongside me.

The lesson for me today is about consistency, which is the same lesson the running teaches. I did not reach 16,433.78km by running hard on a few days. I reached this distance by running every day for 2139 days. That leaves 23,641.22km to complete 40,075km, a lap of the world. Small daily use of a tool works the same way. Ten minutes a day compounds into skill. Waiting until you feel ready lets the gap widen.

Change in AI tools is not going away. The pace is picking up. By the time you read this, my view will probably be out of date and I will be talking about the next tool. The further you fall behind, the longer you take to catch up, so staying close to the pace is easier than a late sprint.

Tied to all of this is the reason I run and vlog every day. I am raising £1M for children's causes, including Great Ormond Street and BBC Children in Need. Better systems in my businesses give me more time and more income, and both support the mission. Every person who watches, follows or shares this vlog helps the mission reach more people.

If you use Claude Code or another AI tool, tell me how you keep the balance. Leave a comment or drop me a line and I will reply to anything relevant. If you want to support the mission, subscribe, share this episode, and come back tomorrow for day 2140.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/f-lQyRBpz88