Originally published on Substack.
Claude Code is having a moment lately. I've been experimenting with it the last few months on multiple personal projects and have been surprised how much more efficient and capable it feels vs other AI setups.
In the last few months it's helped me build...
- A company tracker that combined data on thousands of companies attending large conferences, so I could prioritize my time during the event, including looking up who in my existing network was also attending.
- Personalized, digital flash cards with automated audio and spaced repetition to help one of my kids with a spelling test.
- A local, open source Lightroom alternative with iCloud syncing, preventing an increase in my iCloud bill (a project I'd put off for a while).
- Analyzed and summarized large documents without setting up an MCP.
Not all of these needed the local file access that makes Claude Code unique. But the momentum and excitement from the ones that did, combined with the safety of a Docker Container, inspired me to take on bigger and bigger things. Claude Code also feels more efficient on tokens for creating and modifying UIs for projects.
All of this will likely be outdated in 12 months. But I'm excited to see what teams accomplish with these tools next.
For more on Claude Code, check out Boris Cherny, Head of Claude Code, on Lenny's Podcast recently.
Best Quote: "When we first launched Claude Code internally last year, it got maybe 5 likes, but I felt like there was something there I had to keep pursuing." I also love Boris's analogies to the printing press.
My Take Away: At this stage, everything is a creative endeavor. Get brave and embrace the blank page.