A New Form of Deep Work
We've all seen them - devs in their natural habitat. Noise-canceling headphones, Red Bulls, lost in their own world. Interrupt them and you risk the geek death stare (not very scary really).
Deep focus works great for managing ad accounts too. You have to 'hold it all in your head' - campaign structures, performance, client goals, market dynamics. One "quick question" from a colleague and poof, there goes your train of thought.
It's why the Pomodoro Technique works so well - those precious focused blocks when everything clicks into place and you can finally see the patterns in your data.
But something fascinating is happening in the world of those headphone-wearing coders.
The New Workflow
As I've spent the past year coding with AI as my 'pair programmer', I've noticed a very different pattern: With AI as your team mate you can drop in, give a few instructions, and step away. Or do different work with a separate AI.
The mental overhead of context-switching has almost disappeared.
Which makes me wonder... Will account management follow the same path?
Imagine fluid interactions with AI agents that maintain context for you & is ready to go when you are. They remember every detail, every preference, every past decision.
I'm loving this way of working & I think it's an under-rated benefit of AI & Agents.
The New Account Manager
For me this raises interesting questions:
- •What happens when the "mental loading" time disappears?
- •How will work patterns change when you can do thoughtful work in shorter bursts?
- •What does account management look like when you're orchestrating AI agents instead of doing deep dives?
- •And yes, the elephant in the room: How many more accounts will managers expect you to handle?
This next phase isn't about doing more - it's about doing better.
When AI handles the cognitive heavy lifting, you can focus on all those things we talked about earlier: relationships, strategy, intuition, learning time.
The Future of Agency Work
It's been a constant theme in this series: the agencies that thrive won't be the ones who use AI to handle more accounts with fewer people. They'll be the ones who use AI to deliver massive, personalised value to each client.
Your role shifts from executor to orchestrator. From juggling contexts to directing a symphony of specialized AI agents, each maintaining its own deep understanding of different aspects of your accounts.
And your AI chief of staff? They'll help you stay on top of it all, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks while you focus on what truly matters: the creative, strategic work that no AI can replicate.
This is the future we're building toward. Not replacement, but enhancement.
Not more work, but better work.
What aspects of your role are you most excited to enhance with AI? What will you do with that freed-up mental bandwidth?