You're a Designer Now
I rebuilt ronforbes.com in an afternoon using Claude Design and Claude Desktop. The tools changed. The agency was always yours. Here's what I learned.
Ron Forbes
Personal website and blog by Ron Forbes covering career, AI, health, VR, personal finance, and happiness.
Latest posts
You Don't Have to Wait for KAIROS
A leaked Claude Code daemon called KAIROS and Karpathy's viral knowledge base blueprint just revealed the future of personal AI. Here's what's actually working today, and how to start building it this weekend.
The Week the Proactive AI Assistant Went Mainstream
Claude shipped computer use, Dispatch, Channels, and scheduled tasks in eight weeks, replicating what previously required OpenClaw and a self-hosted server. Here's what changed and how to set it up.
Your Second Brain Is Not Optional Anymore
AI didn't create the information overload problem, it made it impossible to ignore. Here's how to build a personal AI second brain using Claude Cowork or Claude Code in a single day, whether you're technical or not.
Stop Learning AI. Start Learning Management.
The most important skill for working with AI agents isn't technical. It's people management. How frameworks from Julie Zhuo and Kim Scott transformed my AI workflows.
This Is Your Second Brain on OpenClaw
I connected my Obsidian vault to OpenClaw — a 24/7 AI agent — and it changed how I work, think, and live. Here's the full setup guide with a ready-to-paste prompt.
The AI Personal Assistant Era Just Arrived. So Where Do I Begin?
OpenAI just validated personal AI agents. Everyone's buying Mac minis and spinning up OpenClaw. But the hard part isn't building. It's knowing what to build. Here's how product thinking helps you escape the AI productivity trough.
Something Big Is Happening, and Taste Is More Important Than Ever
The AI moment is accelerating fast. The real skill isn't producing more with AI. It's knowing what's good. This is the 10-80-10 framework.
Building Your AI Second Brain: A Practical Guide for the Overwhelmed Knowledge Worker
The gap between AI inspiration and action is smaller than you think. Here's how to build a second brain that actually works, starting with a 30-minute brain dump and growing into a system that compounds over time.
Give Your Personal AI Assistant Hands Like OpenClaw (Without the Security Nightmares)
OpenClaw has 100k GitHub stars and terrifying security flaws. Here's how to build the same proactive AI capabilities: daily briefs, persistent memory, self-extending abilities. Without giving an AI root access to your life.
Build Your Personal AI Assistant with Claude Code
How to automate the low-stakes tasks consuming your time so you can focus on the high-stakes decisions that actually matter
Welcome to the New RonForbes.com (I Vibe Coded the Whole Thing)
I migrated my personal website from Notion to a custom Next.js site, built entirely with AI. Here's what I learned about delegation, orchestration, and why the shift from chatbots to AI agents is the biggest productivity unlock most people aren't seeing.
Claude Code as Life Coach: How I Use AI + Obsidian for Personal Growth
How I use Claude Code with Obsidian as an AI life coach, synthesizing years of notes into actionable insights.
The Degenerate's Guide to Vibe Coding
A PM's honest take on AI-assisted coding after three months of real practice—what works, what doesn't, and why your 'just enough to be dangerous' technical background might be your biggest advantage.
The Conductor's Paradox: What I Learned About Impact as a Senior PM
On identity, scale, and the uncomfortable truth about senior IC work - lessons learned about transitioning from problem-solver to strategic leader.
🌆 Life Update: Finding Home in New York City
Reflecting on my move to NYC, reigniting my work at Meta, navigating the chaos of cross-country relocation, and finding hope in a world transformed by AI.
How to Land Your Dream Product Management Role: A No-BS Guide
A practical guide to breaking into product management covering product sense development, analytics skills, resume building, interview preparation, networking, and building a PM portfolio.
Starting with WHY: The Secret to Authenticity, Direction, and Acing Your Next Interview
How shifting from rehearsed answers to authentic purpose can transform job interviews—and life decisions.
Building Your Personal Website with Notion: A Guide to Creating a Content Hub
A comprehensive guide on using Notion as the backbone of your digital presence, including tips on databases, Super.so integration, and content organization.
So You Want to Be a Product Manager
After over 15 years in the role, I share the truths about product management—the challenges, the rewards, and the skills you need to succeed.
On Time: How to Make the Most of It as a Midlife Millennial
Reframing the question of finding time to making conscious choices about how we spend our limited hours.
The Midlife Millennial: On Leaning into the Unknown
Navigating the three stages of a midlife crisis—the trigger, the search for meaning, and acceptance—as a millennial approaching 40.
The Fear of Creating in Public
Exploring my fear of creating in public and the reframes that help me push past the resistance to share more of myself online.
Hey! 👋 (Is this thing on?)
Welcome to The Degenerate—a newsletter sharing productivity tips, career advice, and life lessons from a high-functioning adult who still loves going out dancing.
Unlocking Seamless Multitasking on Meta Quest
A guide to enabling and using the Seamless Multitasking feature on Meta Quest, allowing you to run 2D windows alongside immersive apps for greater flexibility and productivity.
Using Meta Quest as Your Spatial Computer
An updated guide on how to use Meta Quest for productivity, including why spatial computing matters, how to set up for multitasking, and practical use cases.
Reflecting on Life in NYC: Thought-Provoking Questions for a Week of Exploration
Ten thought-provoking questions to ask yourself while exploring New York City—or navigating everyday life.
Major Milestones and The Road Ahead: Our Development Journey Continues
It's been a while since my last update, and what a journey it has been! I'm thrilled to share with you all the progress we've made on our modern successor to Tetris Attack for VisionOS.
Progress Update: Bringing the Basics to Life
A quick update on my journey developing a modern successor to Tetris Attack for VisionOS, including milestones achieved and thoughts on balancing development with life.
Embarking on a Spatial Gaming Adventure: Reviving Tetris Attack for visionOS
I'm thrilled to share my journey into the fascinating world of game development, specifically for visionOS. My goal? To reimagine the classic Tetris Attack for modern spatial computing platforms.
Prototyping the Core Gameplay: Finding the Fun in VR Puzzles
Sharing the exciting phase of my game development journey: prototyping the core gameplay and discovering that magical formula that keeps players coming back.
Setting Goals: Learning and Innovating in Virtual Reality
Delving deeper into the goals behind my game development project, from personal growth in VR/MR development to creating an engaging game for current and future generations.
Making My Personal Website with Notion + Super
How I use Notion as my second brain and Super to host my personal website, combining document editing, relational databases, and content publishing.
On Hedonic Adaptation
Exploring the psychology of hedonic adaptation and the importance of gratitude for present circumstances while pursuing future aspirations.
Organizing my Life with Notion
How I'm using Notion to organize my life, from tasks and notes to journaling and life strategy, focusing on content over customization.
Thoughts While Recovering from Surgery
Reflections on wisdom teeth removal, discovering Notion as a second brain, and exploring augmented reality development during recovery.
Showing My Work
A reflection on life at 37 across health, work, relationships, and hobbies—inspired by Austin Kleon's Show Your Work philosophy.
Getting Started Multitasking on Oculus Quest
A practical guide to VR productivity with multitasking on Oculus Quest, covering setup, best practices, and the future of working in virtual reality.
Getting a Job in Tech
Lessons on landing a tech job, covering growth-oriented mindset, the STAR storytelling method, and technical problem solving strategies.
Getting Back to Health
Setting goals for perfect physical, mental, and emotional health through Peloton, urban hikes, audiobooks, and meditation.
On the Value of a Morning Routine
A walkthrough of my peaceful morning ritual—from waking up to coffee shop visits to planning the day ahead.
Being Productive in VR
Exploring how virtual reality is transforming productivity with multi-screen workstations, Bluetooth peripherals, and immersive focus environments on Oculus Quest.
Death & Taxes
Lessons learned about tax withholding after a painful tax day—and why lending the government an interest-free loan isn't the answer either.
New Domain, New Me
The story of finally buying ronforbes.com after years of watching it slip away—sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.
My Home Office Setup
As a tech, music, and gaming enthusiast, I spend a lot of time researching the best gear for my home office. This is my current setup.
How I Manage Money: Reaching Financial Stability
Learning to live within your means is equal parts art and science, from identifying creative opportunities to critically executing experiments on your life.
How I Manage Money: Becoming Financially Aware
Phase 1 on the roadmap is to build a budget of your income and expenses. The process of budgeting is far more valuable than the budget itself.
How I Manage Money: Levels of Financial Wealth
My mental model for thinking about wealth in stages, from financial awareness to abundant financial independence, with each phase building upon the last.
Blitz of Blocks: Post-launch Results
Analyzing the first two weeks after launching our puzzle game on the web—what worked, what didn't, and the critical lesson about mobile support.
The Road to an MVP and Beyond
I want to pick back up where we left off with our Product Vision and how it led to the next step of developing a Product Roadmap that would lead us to where we are now.