← Back to workshop
Branch module
Economics & Stack
0%
✦ 0 XP 🌱 Curious
🌿 Optional branch — go deeper when you're ready
Branch Module · Economics & Stack

Keep it going
without the overhead

The hardest part of using AI sustainably isn't learning the tools — it's knowing which ones to keep, when to pay, and what a realistic week actually looks like. This module cuts through the noise.

🗓️ What do you actually want AI for each week?

Think backwards from what you've tried: your stack only needs to support the work you genuinely plan to do — not the entire internet's idea of a "serious AI workflow."

Start with your real weekly jobs. Most people have two or three repeated tasks where AI genuinely helps. A setup designed for those specific tasks is more useful than a comprehensive setup you never actually open.

The four categories of work most people end up using AI for:

01
Thinking and drafting Emails, planning, lesson ideas, copy, proposals, working through problems out loud. The most common use. Any browser AI does this well for free.
02
Building Asking a build space to make or revise a small tool, page, or script. Requires a dedicated IDE or build environment — not just a chat tab.
03
Creative work Images, music, video, writing polished enough to share. Usually needs a dedicated creative tool like Canva AI, Suno, or Firefly.
04
Repeating tasks The same jobs coming back often enough that a stable workflow saves real time. This is when automating the process starts to make sense.

🧰 Choose your smallest workable setup

You are not choosing your forever stack. You are choosing the smallest setup that gets the work done right now. Click one to select it.

Option A — Free and simple
Browser AI + one build space
One browser AI (Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT) for drafting and questions
One build space (Google AI Studio, Antigravity) when you need to actually make something
An image or music tool only when a specific creative job demands it
Best if you're still building confidence and want the least cognitive load
Good fit: AI is useful a few times a week, not all day. No money needed to start.
Option B — Paid for convenience
One paid assistant + one proper IDE
One paid assistant you trust for daily drafting and heavier analysis (Claude Pro, ChatGPT Plus, or Gemini Advanced)
One build-space or IDE you return to regularly — Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code with Cline
Fewer rate limits, more context window, faster momentum
Best if AI is already saving you real time every week and friction is now the expensive part
Typical cost: ~$25–$40 NZD/month. Pay for one thing at a time — not a bundle of subscriptions.
Option C — API / power-user
Own API keys + flexible tooling
Pay-per-token access via API — usually cheaper than subscriptions if you use AI intermittently
A terminal tool or IDE that uses your own key (Claude Code, Cline, Continue)
Model switching: choose the best model for each task, not just the one your subscription includes
Best after the basic workflow is already stable — more flexibility, more to configure
Cost varies by usage. Lighter users pay less than a subscription. Heavy users can pay more. Track it.
No option selected yet.

💳 Know your payment trigger

Do not pay because the internet told you to. Pay when the free or simple route is genuinely getting in the way of useful work.

T1
Hitting limits often enough that it breaks momentum every week If you regularly hit rate limits or context limits in the middle of actual work, the free tier is costing you more in frustration than the paid tier costs in money.
T2
The paid version would clearly save more time than it costs A $30 subscription that saves you three hours a month is cheap. A $30 subscription you use twice a month is not. Be honest about which one you're buying.
T3
You need a tool path that only works with your own key Claude Code, some Cursor features, and certain IDE integrations require an API key. This is when Option C starts making sense.
T4
You are doing client work or regular publishing If someone else is paying you to produce things faster, the AI cost is a business expense. Different calculation than personal use.

The rule: stay free until the free path becomes annoying, then pay for the single thing that removes the biggest blocker. Don't subscribe to three services because you might need them.

🗺️ Your 7-day plan

Before you leave this module, make the next week stupidly clear. This stays on your device — it's for you, not anyone else.

Main thinking tool
Build tool
Creative tool (optional)
My payment trigger
First real task

✓ Saved to this device.

Branch complete 🌿

You don't need to know every tool. You need to know which two you'll open next week, what for, and when paying would make sense. That's the whole stack question answered.