Daddish 180 · a personal experiment

Every slice of life wants your attention. All at once.

I’m Thomas, a busy dad trying to build better days using AI. Over the next 180 days, I’m going to see how much of the planning, remembering, and mental load of modern life AI can clear for me, so I can give more time and attention to what really matters.

Open Tabs

The Daddish newsletter for building better days. It includes field notes from inside the 180 (what I tried, what worked, and what didn’t), plus useful ideas and finds. When a prompt, guide, plan, or tool proves worth sharing, it lands there too.

Thomas smiling with a slice of pizza while a dog watches the slice closely.

The Daddish 180

What AI can carry

Plans.
Reminders.
Logistics.

What I have to change

Attention.
Consistency.
My habits.

One real life. 180 days.

The Daddish 180

Build systems that make life less noisy.Then change what matters.

The bet: the chaos in my life is not a bad-habit problem. It is a load problem. For 180 days, I’m measuring where my limited resources (time, energy, money, and attention) actually go. Then I’m using AI to automate, eliminate, or delegate as much low-value load as I can. Clear the noise, and I can finally put my own effort into the changes with the highest return.

  1. Measure30 days

    See the whole life. Find the leverage.

    Collect real data across all eight life pillars. Find the forces beneath the scores, identify and rank the highest-return changes, and clear anything that can be fixed quickly. Work that needs sustained effort becomes the Modify plan.

  2. Modify60 days

    Work the right changes, in the right order.

    Work the prioritized human list in sequence, not all at once. Redesign the environment, shrink each action to a viable starting point, and give it room to stabilize before moving to the next. Realistic progress gets the chance to compound.

  3. Master90 days

    Make it survive real life.

    Run each change through ordinary weeks until it stops needing a pep talk. Keep what holds. Cut what only looked clever. Share the evidence either way.

Field sheet · Measure · days 01–30

The whole-life leverage sort

illustrative
PhysicalMentalSpiritualRecreationalProfessionalFinancialRelationshipsEnvironmental
Clear now

Low-value load

AI + quick fixes
  • Dinner decisionsPhysical · Environmental · time + attention
    Automate
  • Camp research + deadlinesRelationships · Recreational · time + attention
    Delegate
  • Unused subscriptionsFinancial · money + attention
    Eliminate
Queue for Modify

Human effort, ranked

one active at a time
  1. 01
    Phone down at dinnerRelationships · Mental · attention
  2. 02
    Fit the workout to the real dayPhysical · time + energy
  3. 03
    Protect time for playRecreational · Spiritual · time + attention
Clear the low-value loadautomate · eliminate · delegate
Room returnedwork the ranked list, one priority at a time
Not one perfect fix: clear what can move now, then work the highest-return human changes in an order real life can hold.

In the lab

Six jobs I want out of my head.

I’m turning recurring life logistics into tested systems: from scheduled Claude jobs and skills to custom dashboards and full-blown vibe-coded apps. I’m building each plan as I fly it, then sharing whatever works once I’ve figured it out.

Food

Let every dinner make the next one easier.

in the lab · illustrative

AI plans the week as a moving component cascade: what to prep, what to cook fresh, and what to carry forward. Ingredients and fully cooked leftovers become new meals through flexible formulas, so dinner builds momentum instead of restarting every night.

Plan for momentum prep · cook · carry forwardTransform, don’t repeat formulas make it new

Fitness

Stay consistent when the day falls apart.

in the lab · illustrative

A fitness system that adjusts lifting, running, and recovery to the time, place, and readiness I actually bring, so an unpredictable day shrinks the session instead of erasing it.

Home

Know what the house needs before it becomes urgent.

in the lab · illustrative

A home system that remembers the house and yard, tracks recurring upkeep, equipment life, and seasonal windows, then tells me what needs attention before it becomes an expensive surprise.

CampCover

One summer. Every kid. No invisible gaps.

in the lab · illustrative

CampCover maps every week of summer, flags the gaps, and catches the registration windows before they become emergencies.

Finance

Catch the leaks. Keep the rewards. Skip the homework.

in the lab · illustrative

A finance system catches recurring subscriptions, sets one default card for each spending category, and turns scattered points into a redemption plan, without making rewards another full-time job.

Golf

Single digits without making golf my second job.

in the lab · illustrative

I’m a forty-something novice trying to reach a single-digit handicap without shortchanging work, family, or the rest of life. This system turns round data, swing evidence, and the time I actually have into the next practice that matters most.

Thomas hitting a golf shot from a deep hollow toward a red flag in evening light.
“How good can I get on the time I actually have?”