10 Things to Do While Your AI Runs

Tools like Claude Cowork have begun taking on increasingly complex tasks for me, and with this change comes increasing AI runtimes. I’ve noticed something troubling about these 1–5 minute bursts of “AI-enabled downtime”: I waste it. And worse than just missing the opportunity to be productive, I context switch to aimless YouTube shorts or WhatsApp messages and have trouble remembering where I left off…

So here are 10 simple ways to spend your AI runs that are more productive than swiping social media apps:

1. 10 Air Squats

Get the legs warm and the blood flowing. Intermittent exercise once an hour has been proven to increase focus and productivity.

2. Look Out the Window

Resist the screaming urge to pick up your phone. We need a bit more boredom in our lives. Look out a window if possible. Distance resets your eyes and your brain.

3. Get a NeeDoh

As a chronic nail-biter, NeeDoh has become a trusty sidekick. Keeping the hands busy can help settle the mind and prepare you for the next tasks. Fidget spinners, stress balls, or silly putty will also suffice.

4. Work with Another AI in Parallel

If you’re in research mode or trying to get a design just right, try running similar prompts across different AI models and compare results.

5. Write Down Your Thoughts

Some of your best ideas come when you’re doing nothing. Capture them in writing before they disappear.

6. Pray to Your Future AI Overlords

No guarantees, but I’ve heard this helps with latency.

7. Make a Coffee or Tea

That walk to the kitchen and a little caffeine can leave you refreshed for the upcoming tasks.

8. Stretch Your Neck and Shoulders

Roll your shoulders back and slowly rotate your neck. Tech neck is real.

9. Begin Writing Your Next Prompt

Stay in the flow state; no rest for the wicked.

10. Call your Mom

Some things are worth context switching for.

Final thoughts

Whether you’re building presentations, Excel spreadsheets, cleaning up emails, or updating Notion, these agentic tasks leave us with downtime.

Like seemingly everything AI-related, this downtime is a double-edged sword that can either be used to completely derail flow state and lead us into social media rabbit holes, or can be used to calmly reset the brain and body to improve productivity.

Just make sure you set up notifications on your AI so you don’t end up playing with NeeDoh for the rest of the work day.