All field notes

80 field notes in 9 chapters.

One person software

Software by one person, for one person.

Thinking

  1. 01Asking for an answer that isn't the obvious oneAsk for the non-obvious answer · ChatGPT · May 2025 to March 2026
  2. 02Checking if the advice just copies a competitorAsk if it is just copying · ChatGPT · March 2026
  3. 03Dropping a data layer that only measured wealthAsk what your measure really measures · Claude Code · August 2026
  4. 04Thinking through when audio messages should expireAsk who your choice could hurt · Claude Code · October 2026 · one person software
  5. 05Why tarot books can't train a tarot modelAsk what shape the data needs · Claude Code · September 2026 · one person software
  6. 06Swapping an overengineered fix for a simple onePush back on overkill · ChatGPT · June 2025
  7. 07Catching the AI inventing a termAsk where it got that · ChatGPT · June 2024
  8. 08Asking if a framework is better or just differentAsk if it is better or different · ChatGPT · January 2025
  9. 09Training an AI on my writing, with mixed resultsKeep writing your own words · ChatGPT and NotebookLM · January 2024 to October 2024
  10. 10Comparing AI to the invention of writingKeep your own conclusion · ChatGPT · December 2024

Creating

  1. 01The AI suggests my own sentence back to meAsk what it actually changed · ChatGPT · November 2025
  2. 02Making a newsletter cover, then and nowLet the agent write prompts · ChatGPT and Claude Code · July 2024 to November 2026
  3. 03An image model that won't follow one instructionAsk it to describe what it made · ChatGPT · February 2026
  4. 04The AI flags a style choice as an errorAsk for errors, not rewrites · ChatGPT · January 2025
  5. 05Asking for a direction, not a draftAsk for a direction, not a draft · ChatGPT and Claude Code · September 2025 to November 2026
  6. 06An image model that can't draw a centaurFind where the model stops · Stable Diffusion, ChatGPT and Siri · January 2023
  7. 07AI headshots of me, one in a hundred usableExpect one keeper in a hundred · PhotoAI.com and ProfilePicture.ai · August 2023
  8. 08Banning the words only AI usesBan the words only AI uses · ChatGPT and Claude Code · January 2024 to August 2026
  9. 09Adding the lesson the AI left outAdd what only you learned · ChatGPT and Newsletter · April 2025

Deciding

  1. 01Estimating users from percentages aloneCheck the math yourself · ChatGPT · June 2024 to November 2024
  2. 02The AI misreads who the offer is forAsk what it actually changed · ChatGPT · May 2024
  3. 03The AI disagrees with my bet on token pricesAsk it not to sugarcoat · ChatGPT · September 2025 to March 2026
  4. 04Pricing a masterclass one fact at a timeAdd one fact at a time · ChatGPT and Claude Code · November 2024 to November 2026
  5. 05Deciding whether to publish our pricesCheck what its memory mixes in · ChatGPT · November 2025
  6. 06Deleting an app that pushes its own goalsNotice whose goals it serves · Call · September 2026
  7. 07Planning an exit from US servicesTell it what you value · ChatGPT · February 2026
  8. 08Accepting six defaults, then reversing oneWrite down why you reversed · Claude Code · October 2026 · one person software
  9. 09Writing every decision down, and never rewriting itNever rewrite a decision, supersede it · Claude Code · October 2026
  10. 10Letting a second agent grade our forecasts blindHave a second agent grade blind · Claude Code · September 2026 to November 2026

Organizing

  1. 01The AI can't count the missing linesCheck the math yourself · ChatGPT · October 2024
  2. 02Cleaning up my glossary, then and nowHave the agent audit data · ChatGPT and Claude Code · April 2024 to September 2026
  3. 03The AI swings from too much structure to too littleAsk for the smallest real version · ChatGPT · March 2026
  4. 04The AI ignores my custom instructionsCut rules for newer models · ChatGPT and Claude Code · August 2025 to September 2026
  5. 05The agent uses the wrong notes as its sourceName the source of truth · Claude Code · September 2026
  6. 06Finding out how little the AI remembers about meAsk what it knows about you · ChatGPT · October 2024 to April 2026
  7. 07Writing website copy from recorded callsMine your calls for your voice · Newsletter · January 2026 to April 2026
  8. 08Writing down every correction for next timeWrite the rule after each miss · Claude Code · October 2026
  9. 09Uninstalling the AI tools I stopped usingDrop the tools you stopped using · Claude Code · September 2026
  10. 10Shipping the AI's polish instead of my own introKeep your own draft · ChatGPT and Newsletter · December 2025

Living

  1. 01The AI guesses about my doorbell's settingsMake it look it up · ChatGPT · November 2025
  2. 02Asking how the AI guessed my locationAsk where it got that · ChatGPT · August 2025
  3. 03The AI gets the eclipse time and place wrongPush back with what you know · ChatGPT · September 2025 to February 2026
  4. 04Understanding a toothache before the dentistPrepare for the expert with it · ChatGPT · August 2025 to October 2025
  5. 05Checking the AI's math before a moveCheck the math yourself · ChatGPT · January 2024
  6. 06Planning a realistic day trip to ParisGive it your real constraints · ChatGPT · July 2024
  7. 07Looking for ways to help Brazil's coconut economyTell it what you value · ChatGPT · December 2025

Connecting

  1. 01Cutting a reply down to what was askedAnswer only what was asked · ChatGPT · February 2026
  2. 02Following up on an offer without sounding strangeWrite the last version yourself · ChatGPT · December 2025
  3. 03Few people share their work in a workshopPlan the sharing from the start · WhatsApp group and Call · August 2024 to September 2026
  4. 04Letting a co-host edit our slidesShrink the scope to the need · Claude Code · August 2026 · one person software
  5. 05Moving my community off WhatsAppWrite the last version yourself · Claude Code · September 2026 to October 2026
  6. 06Teaching people who don't code to buildTeach others to build · Newsletter and Workshop · February 2025 to August 2026
  7. 07Matching what people said to what they voted forCheck the votes against the talk · Claude and Workshop · May 2026

Building

  1. 01A coding agent bricks a deviceNever let it guess hardware · Claude Code · August 2026 to September 2026 · one person software
  2. 02Running a web server, then and nowLet the agent run it · ChatGPT and Claude Code · March 2024 to October 2026
  3. 03Fact-checking fifteen AI-written signalsCheck each claim on the web · ChatGPT and Claude Code · July 2025 to November 2026
  4. 04Starting over fixes a broken parserStart over in a new chat · ChatGPT · March 2024 to April 2025
  5. 05Pushing back on an oversized CRM setupPush back on overkill · ChatGPT · August 2025 to February 2026 · one person software
  6. 06Rethinking the cost of a second app versionThink like an agent, not a team · Claude Code · August 2026 · one person software
  7. 07One suggested command deletes my workAsk before destructive commands · ChatGPT · March 2025
  8. 08No business model fits an app that owns no dataNotice what it assumes · Workshop · August 2026 · one person software
  9. 09Briefing an agent on a new device in eight pointsBrief it in numbered points · Claude Code · September 2026 · one person software
  10. 10My AI quota on a small round screenPut the number where you see it · Claude Code · July 2026 · one person software

Delegating

  1. 01Stopping a cleanup that would delete phone dataAsk before destructive commands · Claude Code · October 2026
  2. 02Saving my code to GitHub, then and nowAutomate saving your work · ChatGPT and Claude Code · March 2024 to July 2026
  3. 03Fewer questions during overnight runsAsk questions only when needed · Claude Code · October 2026
  4. 04The agent waits for checks, not meMake the agent do it · Claude Code · October 2026
  5. 05Testing by hand before anything is mergedTest it yourself before merging · Claude Code · September 2026 to November 2026
  6. 06One agent coordinating several othersLet one agent run the others · Claude Code · October 2026
  7. 07One night's factory run, as the agent reported itRead the report, not the code · Claude Code · October 2026 · one person software
  8. 08Changing my mind about OpenClawRevisit your verdicts · WhatsApp group · March 2026 to July 2026
  9. 09A note the agent left itself after a near missHave it write down its near misses · Claude Code · October 2026
  10. 10Counting my messages to agentsCount what you hand over · Claude Code · June 2026 to November 2026

Writing this book

  1. 01Hiding private details in the conversationsBracket the private details · Claude Code · November 2026
  2. 02Asking ChatGPT for my own newsletter introsCheck it really read it · ChatGPT · January 2024
  3. 03Publishing the cards breaks other filesMake it report its own slips · Claude Code · November 2026
  4. 04The agent adds exclamation marks I never wroteCheck who wrote it first · Claude Code · November 2026
  5. 05Removing dates from the storiesCut what readers don't need · Claude Code · November 2026
  6. 06Another agent moves the project while I workTell it what changed · Claude Code · November 2026
  7. 07Asking a fresh reader to read the book coldAsk for a cold read · Claude Code · November 2026