Red Flags Checklist
Warning signs you're becoming dependent, and what to do:
| Red Flag | What's Happening | Immediate Action |
|---|---|---|
| Can't start without AI | Outsourced problem decomposition | Code 30 min daily without AI |
| Don't understand AI's code | Copying without learning | Use /explain-back on EVERYTHING |
| Can't debug AI errors | Never learned debugging | Deliberately break code, fix manually |
| Anxiety without AI | Emotional dependence | It's a tool, not a lifeline, practice without |
| Rejected in interviews | Fundamentals atrophied | Practice whiteboard problems without AI |
| Always ask "how" never "why" | Surface-level usage | Force yourself to ask "why this approach?" |
| Every solution looks the same | AI has patterns, you need variety | Study multiple implementations manually |
| Task feels easy but you can't explain it | Perception gap: AI users rate tasks easier while scoring 17% lower (Shen & Tamkin 2026) | After each task, explain the solution without looking at code |
| Prolonged sessions without breaks | Session fatigue: identical prompts yield varying outputs, causing anxiety | Time-box sessions: 30 min limit, max 3 attempts before manual implementation |
Weekly Self-Audit
Every Friday, ask:
- What did I learn this week that I didn't know before?
- Could I have done this week's work without AI?
- Did I understand everything I shipped?
- Am I faster than last month? Am I smarter?
If you're faster but not smarter, you're building dependency.