I automated my job and got more tired

Over the last six months I rebuilt a lot of my day job around AI. Agents draft, code, research, and summarize. On paper, I do less of the work than ever.

So why am I more tired?

It took me a while to name it. I’m not tired from thinking anymore. I’m tired from approving. My day turned into a steady stream of “is this right?” Read the output. Check it. Fix one thing. Switch to the next tool. Remember what I asked for twenty minutes ago. Say yes. Repeat.

That’s a different kind of load than creative work, and nothing I use measures it. My screen time looks the same. My calendar looks the same. But by late afternoon my brain is done.

It’s not just me

Researchers are starting to see the same thing. An eight-month study from UC Berkeley Haas followed a tech company where people had broad access to AI. It didn’t give them time back. Work got denser: people took on more, prompted through lunch and into the evening, and kept AI running in the background while doing other things. (Haas write-up)

Other studies point the same way. How you use AI matters more than how many minutes you spend. Handing everything off gets more done but leaves you understanding less. And checking AI output is real work, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

What PreThink is

PreThink is my attempt to make that load visible. Think of a fitness tracker, but for how you work with AI.

Right now it’s a free Chrome extension that tracks your use of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity in the browser. It looks at patterns like how long your sessions run and how often you bounce between tools, not just raw minutes.

It’s local-first. Your prompts and conversations never leave your computer. There’s no account and nothing to sign up for.

What it isn’t

It’s not a “use AI less” app. I use AI all day and I’m not stopping. The goal is to use it in a way that leaves something in the tank.

It also doesn’t cover everything yet. It doesn’t see desktop tools like Cursor or Claude Code. That’s where I spend most of my own time now, so I’m working on a desktop version next.

What this page is for

I’ll use this section to explain new research on AI and mental load in plain English: one study per post, what it found, and what it means if your day is mostly reviewing AI’s work. No hype in either direction.

If any of this sounds like your week, I’d love to hear from you. Join the list below, or just try the extension and tell me what’s missing.

— Harrison