Are you still coding like it’s 2005?

Programming in Flash was my real entry point into the world of coding.
I’m talking about the mid-2000s. I didn’t know how to “program”. I only designed. (As a kid I had tinkered a bit with MS-DOS, very basic, almost experimental, but this was something else.)

I remember one scene perfectly.
I had to repeat the same visual pattern dozens of times.
And I did it by hand.
Copy, paste, move, adjust.
Over and over.
Until something in my head started feeling uncomfortable: “This has to be doable automatically. This has to be automatable.”
It sounds silly, but I didn’t have the language to explain what I was feeling. I didn’t even know what a loop was.

And that’s how I discovered the FOR loop.

Suddenly, a feeling turned into a tool: instead of me repeating, the code repeated.
And to me, that was magic.

For years, that same feeling has come back again and again.
When I start a WordPress project, I’m basically always repeating a pattern: I use my own boilerplate, adapt the structure, define the base, and then apply a custom design.

Each project is different, sure.
But there’s a big part that is always the same.
And inside me, that voice came back:
“This should be easier too.”
“This should be something I can automate better.”
“I’m spending too much energy repeating.”

The funny thing is that for a long time I didn’t know what the alternative was. I only felt the limit.
Until a couple of years ago, when I took another leap.
One similar to that FOR loop in Flash.
The difference is that now the catalyst is AI.

I’ve started automating basic processes – simple things, but the kind that take work off my plate or truly speed me up.
And here’s the important part:
The key is not “asking AI for things”.
The key is giving it the right pattern.

Structure.
Rules.
Standards.
And examples.

And then following a method.
In my case, it usually looks something like this:

Break the project down into modules.
Wireframe (from a Figma screenshot or even a hand sketch)
Apply logic based on my prior instructions (structure, naming, components, real project limitations), with CSS and JavaScript at the end, as the finishing and behavior layer.

Step by step.
And with one condition I don’t compromise on:
every step requires validation and review.

Because hallucination is still part of the process.
You still can’t fully avoid it.
It’s not perfect.
But it is a new way of working.

And the most interesting part is this:
I don’t feel like “AI codes for me”.
I feel like I’m coding better again.
As if that magic I felt with Flash had come back, but in an adult version: it’s no longer just a loop that repeats elements, it’s a system that repeats criteria.

And when you achieve that, suddenly the focus goes back to where it should always be: understanding what you’re building, not repeating tasks.

Have you ever noticed that feeling?
The one where you think: “what I do every day… this should be automatable”?
Because if you’ve felt it, you might be closer to your next leap than you think.