The Psychology of Coding: Why Developers Avoid Planning (and How AI Planning Tools Like Continue Fix It)

We have a weird relationship with planning in software development. We'll spend hours debugging a problem that 15 minutes of upfront thinking could have prevented, then complain that "planning slows us down." 

Now with AI, there’s a strong urge to vibe-code our way to something that works. The resistance to planning is real, but so are the consequences.

Why Developers Resist Planning (and the Cognitive Science Behind It)

In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman explains that we rely on two modes of thinking:

• System 1: Fast, automatic, intuitive thinking. Great for quick decisions and pattern recognition.
• System 2: Slow, effortful, deliberate thinking. Necessary for deep problem-solving but mentally expensive.

Planning forces us into System 2. It feels “unnatural” because it burns more cognitive energy than simply jumping in and dealing with problems as they come up.

That’s why so many developers skip planning and jump straight into building. Sure, part of it could be deadlines or impatience, but our biology tells us to start with the path of least resistance. In this case, coding feels easier than planning architecture. Unfortunately, skipping System 2 just pushes the complexity downstream. 

This is why AI-assisted planning tools like Continue’s Plan Mode can act like a circuit breaker, forcing you to pause, switch into deliberate thinking, and approach problems strategically rather than reactively.

How AI-Assisted Planning Builds Stronger Developer Skills

Research shows that how we use AI directly impacts how we think and learn:

• Cognitive offloading (when we delegate thinking to tools) reduces our ability to form mental models and solve problems independently (MDPI).
• Heavy reliance on AI has been shown to create “surface learning,” where people retrieve answers without understanding the underlying reasoning (The Australian).

In education, this leads to students who can’t think deeply. In software development, it leads to shallow understanding, technical debt, and stalled growth into senior-level problem-solving.

Treating AI as an “answer vending machine,” makes you weaker. Use it as a planning “sparring partner” to question assumptions, map edge cases, and explain trade-offs. That’s how you become faster and smarter with AI.

How Continue’s Plan Mode Helps Developers Plan Better

Continue's Plan Mode supports System 2 thinking in AI development, and allows for a transition to System 1 when you’re ready to implement your plans. Plan Mode gives you a read-only, safe space to explore your codebase and make architectural decisions before you build. Here’s how it helps:

• Forces deliberate thinking: No edits, just thinking. You explore without the urge to start coding.
• Lowers mental friction: Trace flows, map dependencies, and explore edge cases with AI.
• Supports real understanding: Ask things like “How does auth work here?” instead of “Build auth for me.”
• Preserves context: Your notes and insights carry over into implementation.

15 Minutes of Planning > 15 Hours of Debugging

Here’s a quick workflow:

1. Pick a task you’d usually dive into.
2. Set a 15-minute timer.
3. Check out Continue's Plan Mode to ask thoughtful questions for AI-assisted planning.
4. Document what changes about your approach after those 15 minutes.

Even if you “lose” 15 minutes, you’ll likely avoid hours of rework.

Best Practices for Using AI Planning Tools in Software Development

Why AI-Assisted Planning Matters for Modern Development

AI can either accelerate poor judgment or reinforce deep understanding. The developers who thrive in AI-driven development will be the ones who can think, plan, and then execute with AI as a multiplier.

I think Lee Robinson’s recent post on X, helps to validate this idea:

The more powerful AI tools become, the more critical it is to understand what’s happening underneath. Think of it like using a high-powered demolition tool on a wall. Sure, you can tear through it in seconds. But if you don’t know where the electrical lines or plumbing are, you’re creating a disaster that costs ten times as much to fix.

AI is the same way. Without deep thinking, you’re just breaking things faster.

Your Turn: The Planning Challenge

Try this: Spend 15 minutes in Plan Mode, question assumptions, and document what changes. Share what you learn.