Sunday Snacks: Productivity, Ego, & the Future of AI Coding – Let’s Dive In

Sunday Snacks: Productivity, Ego, & the Future of AI Coding

Hey friends,

Welcome back to another edition of Sunday Snacks edition—a quick bite of thoughts, tools, and reflections from the past few weeks. This one’s packed with everything from tech trends to timeless wisdom. Let’s jump in.

🚀 Productivity & Purpose

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what actually drives meaningful productivity—not just getting things done but getting the right things done.

I came across this Ali Abdaal video on How To Find Your Purpose, and it clicked. In the video, Ali shares a practical approach to purpose—it's not something you "find" once and for all, but something you build through intentional living. He breaks it down into three parts: curiosity, contribution, and craftsmanship. Start by following what you're curious about, contribute value through what you do, and aim to improve your craft over time. As a 22-year-old still carving out my path, this gave me space to breathe. Your purpose doesn’t have to be this grand, singular mission—it can grow through exploration, service, and small bets that compound over time.

It made me revisit how I spend my time and reframe productivity as alignment—not acceleration.

💻 AI Coding, Cursor’s Big Move & the Vibe Shift

Cursor, the AI coding assistant, has been making waves in the dev community. Its whole pitch is about being a faster, AI-first code editor that feels like pair programming with someone smarter than you. With increasing traction and growing support from the open-source and AI communities, it might evolve into the go-to IDE for devs building with or alongside AI, offering features like inline completions, contextual code suggestions, and real-time refactoring support.

But here’s where it gets interesting: compare that to “vibe coding.”

Vibe coding, also known as vibecoding, is a relatively new term describing a coding approach where AI—especially large language models (LLMs)—are used to generate code based on natural language prompts. The developer essentially tells the AI what they want the code to do, focusing more on the "vibe" or desired outcome rather than manually writing every line. It's less about syntax and structure, and more about conveying intent. Think: "Build me a dashboard that updates in real-time," and watching the AI sketch the scaffolding for it.

This mode of coding is becoming increasingly popular with tools like Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Replit's Ghostwriter. It opens the door to more intuitive and creative workflows—particularly for indie developers, designers dabbling in code, or anyone who prefers idea-led building over traditional scripting. It shifts the focus from knowing exactly how to implement a feature to knowing what you want and why.

Of course, it’s not perfect—understanding fundamentals still matters. But as LLMs improve, vibe coding might just redefine the way we prototype, experiment, and express ideas in code.

Both Cursor and vibe coding tools have their place. One mode is about accelerating. The other is about connecting. Tools like Cursor try to automate and streamline, but they’ll never replace the why behind your code. Vibe coding honors that purpose. It’s about enjoying the process, not just the result.

Just don’t let automation rob you of creativity—or the joy of getting lost in your own ideas.

📚 Book Review: Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

This book hit different.

At 22, it’s easy to feel like you have to prove something—to the world, to your peers, or even to yourself. Ego is the Enemy is a humbling read that reminds you: ego is loud, purpose is quiet.

One of my favorite quotes actually came right from the prologue:

That hit me hard. Because that’s exactly where I am right now—at the junction of choosing. Choosing where to focus my energy, what kind of work aligns with my values, and how to define success on my own terms. That line reminded me that life isn’t just about climbing, it’s about choosing the right mountain.

Some key takeaways:

• Be a student, always. (Chapter: “Always Stay a Student”) The best in the game never stop learning. Ego says “I’ve made it.” Reality says, “There’s still more to learn.”

• Don’t let early success ruin you. Holiday shares stories of people who rose too fast and fell hard. The antidote? Stay grounded, stay focused.

• Purpose over passion. It’s not about chasing clout—it’s about contributing something meaningful.

Reading it in tandem with Ali Abdaal’s video made me rethink how I approach goals. Maybe it’s not about “making it” by 25—but making things that matter, slowly and honestly.

🍿 Sunday Snacks Picks – Curated Recommendations

• 🎥 Half as Interesting: Why The QWERTY Keyboard Actually Sucks — a quick and fascinating dive into why the keyboard you use every day might not be the smartest design after all.

• 🍔 Yelp’s Top 100 Food Trucks of 2025 — A mouthwatering list of the best food trucks across the U.S. See if one’s rolling through your city!

• 📈 Private Equity Eyes Youth Sports — A fascinating read on how private equity is investing in the $40 billion youth sports industry. As the line between amateur and professional sports blurs, this shift is creating greater opportunity for some, while also deepening inequality—especially between wealthier families and those struggling to afford competitive access.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading this far. I’m still figuring it all out, but if any of this resonated with you—or made you pause for a sec—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
– Fahad