Been coding for 23 years now. Love it, always have. But man, sometimes the boring stuff just eats up all my time. Then I found Claude Code, and wow – suddenly I can build way more cool stuff AND actually have dinner with my family.
The Problem: Too Much Time on Boring Stuff
Look, after all these years, setting up databases and writing the same login code for the hundredth time isn’t fun anymore. It’s just… tedious. I’d rather spend that time:
- Building something actually interesting
- Teaching my kids to code
- Having family time without my laptop
But projects still needed all that setup work. Until now.
What Makes Claude Code Different
It Actually Builds Complete Stuff
Instead of just giving me code snippets, it builds entire features:
claude "Make me a blog with user accounts"
# And boom, it creates:
# - Database setup
# - Login/register pages
# - Admin panel
# - Responsive design
# - Even deployment scripts
Never seen anything handle the whole thing like this before.
It Gets That I’m Not a Newbie
Best part? It doesn’t treat me like I just learned to code yesterday:
- Uses my existing code style
- Suggests better ways to do things (when it makes sense)
- Handles the boring parts so I can work on fun stuff
- Remembers how I like things organized
It Learns My Style
After a few projects, Claude Code knows:
- How I structure folders
- What frameworks I prefer
- My deployment setup preferences
It’s like having a coding buddy who actually pays attention.
How Much Time It Actually Saves
Adding Features
- Before: Spend half a day researching, coding, debugging
- Now: Tell Claude what I want, review it, done in 15 minutes
Deploying Stuff
- Before: Hours of server setup and config headaches
- Now: Just say “deploy this” and it handles everything
What This Actually Means
More Fun Coding
Now I have time for the cool stuff:
- Playing with Rust and WebAssembly
- Building fun projects with my kids
- Contributing to open source
- Writing about what I learn
Family Time is Sacred Again
- Dinner without laptop emergencies
- Weekend hikes without deployment worries
- Reading bedtime stories instead of debugging until midnight
Still Learning New Things
Even after 23 years, Claude Code got me excited about coding again:
- Trying bigger projects I wouldn’t have had time for
- Learning AI and blockchain without setup hell
- Actually helping other developers instead of being buried in my own tasks
The Real Numbers
Recent Laravel Project
- Full API with auth: 30 minutes
- Admin dashboard: 20 minutes
- Docker setup: 15 minutes
- Total: Just over an hour (used to be 2-3 days!)
Quick Tips
Be Specific
Instead of “fix this bug”, try:
claude "Fix the login issue where users get stuck on the dashboard loading screen"
Let It Read Your Project
Claude Code automatically understands your project structure, so you can just say:
claude "Add social sharing like the existing blog pattern"
Trust It
Sometimes it finds better solutions than what I originally planned. Let it work.
Bottom Line
Look, I’ve tried a bunch of AI coding tools over the years. Claude Code is different because it actually gets the whole picture – not just individual code problems, but entire projects.
If you’re spending too much time on setup and not enough time building cool stuff (or being with family), give Claude Code a shot.
It’s running right in your terminal, and honestly? It’s pretty amazing.