A software engineer reflects on how AI coding tools are reinvigorating their work and side projects, while worrying that the always-on nature of these tools may mask unhealthy work habits—and pose risks to younger workers without protective boundaries.

What happened: The author, a late-30s engineer with family responsibilities, has been shipping personal projects at a faster pace than they have in years, and is receiving positive feedback from managers on work delivery and AI tooling adoption. Their engagement with work has risen sharply after a period they describe as feeling disengaged, and they now spend evenings working on side projects with the help of AI coding assistants available on their phone and laptop.

Why it matters: The author is grappling with whether this sense of reignited passion is genuine or a form of compulsion driven by the frictionless availability of AI tools that blur the boundary between work and personal time. They note that their family and personal commitments act as a 'hard floor' preventing them from overcommitting, but they worry that people without such protective structures—especially younger workers—could lose themselves in work without noticing until they are 'severely burned out,' and they see messaging around intense work schedules as 'exactly the wrong message' to send in this environment.

What to watch: The author acknowledges the parallel to what they describe as 'agent psychosis' (constant availability of AI agents for work and personal projects) and expresses uncertainty about whether they are on that path. They observe that their sleep schedule has slipped after a decade of maintaining healthy habits, suggesting the tools' impact is measurable even within a structured life—a cautionary signal for how these tools might affect people with fewer safeguards.