I used to treat these as two separate problems:
- My AI coding bill kept spiking for no obvious reason.
- I kept losing focus to feed loops and tab-hopping.
Turns out it was the same system failure: context chaos.
When I was scattered, I wrote worse prompts, retried more, switched models impulsively, and spent way more.
What changed this week
I ran a simple 7-day protocol:
- Start each build session with a 60-second brief (goal, files, model)
- Cap retries to 2 before rewriting the prompt
- Track per-session token/cost in real time
- Block feed surfaces during coding blocks
- End each session with a 3-line handoff note
The result
- Fewer reruns
- Cleaner prompts
- More shipped tasks per night
- Noticeably lower spend
The tools I built for this
I built tiny Mac apps for these exact pain points:
- TokenBar — a $5 menu bar app for live AI token/cost visibility: https://tokenbar.site
- Monk Mode — a $15 Mac app that blocks algorithmic feeds (not whole apps): https://mac.monk-mode.lifestyle
The combo works because one controls money leakage and the other controls attention leakage.
Practical workflow (copy/paste)
- Pick one task outcome
- Choose the cheapest model that can do it
- Run one clean prompt
- If output misses, rewrite once (don’t spam retries)
- Keep feeds blocked until task is shipped
- Log cost + outcome before switching context
If you’re a solo builder, this is the fastest way I’ve found to stop “busy but broke” nights.
What are you tracking right now: per-session cost, shipped tasks, or just total monthly spend?
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