Going All-In on Claude

For a while, I treated AI tools like a buffet.

ChatGPT for writing. Gemini for research. Copilot for code. Claude when I felt like it. I thought I was being strategic — using the “best tool for the job.”

I wasn’t. I was just creating extra work for myself.

What’s the problem with switching between AI tools?

Every AI tool starts from zero. It doesn’t know you, your projects, your clients, or how you like to work. Every time you switch, you spend the first few minutes re-explaining context the other tool already had.

Multiply that by ten times a day and it becomes a real drag.

There’s also the decision fatigue. “Which tool should I use for this?” is a question you shouldn’t have to ask. It’s cognitive overhead that quietly compounds.

Why I went all-in on Claude specifically

Not because it wins every benchmark. Because the system you build around one tool is worth more than marginal quality differences between tools.

Here’s what that system looks like for me:

• A second brain that Claude reads at the start of every session — my projects, my clients, my priorities, how I like to communicate
• Custom skills for things I do repeatedly (writing landing pages, drafting emails, planning my day, building HubSpot pages)
• Direct MCP connections to the tools I actually use — HubSpot, Notion, Google Calendar, Things 3, and even this blog

Claude doesn’t just help me with tasks. It knows the difference between a Mode40 brief and a client email. It knows I have ADHD and structures things accordingly. It remembers decisions I made last month.

What is Claude Code and how does it fit in?

Claude Code is a version of Claude that runs locally on your computer. Instead of just chatting in a browser, it can read files, run commands, connect to your apps, and take actions — all from a conversational interface.

Think of it like the difference between texting someone for advice versus having them sit at your desk with you.

Most of what I’ve built — the MCPs, the custom skills, the second brain — runs through Claude Code (specifically Cowork, Anthropic’s desktop app). That’s where the real leverage is.

The compound effect nobody talks about

The longer you use one tool and the more you invest in setting it up, the faster and better it gets at helping you.

It’s like the difference between a contractor who shows up every day and knows your house versus a rotating cast of people who’ve never been inside.

The AI isn’t smarter. Your system is smarter.

Should you switch to Claude?

That’s the wrong question. The right question is: which tool are you willing to actually invest in?

Pick one. Build around it. Give it six weeks. You’ll stop asking “which AI should I use?” and start asking “what should I ask it next?”