This morning during my 6 AM routine (yes, I'm one of those early birds), I was sipping my hot lemon water and reading Dan's latest newsletter about the "$100,000 trapped in your head." His words hit different today, and I felt compelled to share my thoughts.

The Reality Check

Let me be real with you: When I read about turning knowledge into products, my first reaction was pure impostor syndrome. Here's where I'm actually at:

• 360 Twitter followers

• 10 newsletter subscribers

• A Discord bot that's more "work in progress" than "minimum viable product"

• Several unfinished projects that keep me up at night

Not exactly the profile of someone who should be writing about knowledge products, right? But stay with me here.

The Messy Middle

You see, I started this journey with zero writing or coding background. None. ZIP. The command line was as foreign to me as ancient Sanskrit. But I did something different – I went all-in on an AI-first approach from day one.

Instead of traditional learning paths, I started building and creating immediately:

The Anxiety Helper App

My first major project was born from a personal need. I wanted an app that features a clean interface that makes it easy to track your emotional journey while providing valuable insights into your mental well-being patterns. Yes, it's basic compared to what's out there, but it's mine, and it works. More importantly, building it taught me countless lessons about firebase integration for authentication (Google Sign-in), firestore database, storage for images and user experience design.

Discord Bot Wrestling Match

I'm currently building a Discord bot, (using VS Code + some AI coding extensions) designed to manage trading signals, provide real-time crypto price updates, and offer AI-powered assistance for traders. Most features are up and running, but I’m still deep in what I lovingly call the "error message appreciation phase." Some days, I stare at error messages for hours. Other days, I have those magical breakthrough moments that make it all worth it. My biggest challenge right now? Refining the screenshot-based chart analysis feature. Once that’s sorted, the bot will be fully equipped to support crypto traders! 🚀

Automating Workflows (So I Can Think Less and Build More)

• You know that feeling when you have a million things to keep track of, but your brain just refuses to cooperate? Yeah, same. That’s why I started experimenting with ChatGPT’s Scheduled Tasks, because if an AI can handle my daily briefings and reminders, I can free up mental space for the real work. In one of my latest blog posts, I break down how I use GPT-4’s scheduled tasks to automate my AI news research, integrate learning prompts into a regular routine, and make sure I never miss important updates.

• Ever had a brilliant idea at the worst moment, on a walk, in the shower, or right before sleep, only to forget it later? That happened to me constantly, so I built a Siri Shortcut to Database system with inspiration from the AI Foundations Skool Community. What started as a "wouldn’t it be cool if…" turned into a workflow that saves me so much time. With Siri Shortcuts, OpenAI’s API, and Airtable, I can capture ideas with a quick voice command, refine them with ChatGPT, and store them instantly. In this blog post, I break down how to build this system, including step-by-step setup and troubleshooting. If you juggle multiple projects and need a seamless way to organize ideas, check it out!

What Dan's Newsletter Made Me Realize

Dan talks about finding your "personal system" – that unique approach you can package into a product. Initially, I thought "I don't have a system yet!"

Maybe the system isn’t something pre-existing that I need to fit into. Maybe it’s being built in real-time, shaped by every experience I have along the way. The failed prompts that show me what doesn’t work become lessons in precision. The successful integrations that catch me by surprise reveal new possibilities I hadn’t considered. And then there are those moments—those “Why didn’t I think of that before?” realizations—that remind me how much growth happens in the space between frustration and breakthrough.

The Value Paradox

Dan writes: "if you can make $1, you can make $1,000,000" – but there's a twist I'm discovering. Value comes in unexpected forms:

• Sometimes it's a simple automation tutorial that saves someone an hour

• Sometimes it's a detailed breakdown of why something didn't work

• Sometimes it's just showing others that it's okay to start from zero

A Quick Win to Take With You

Before you go, here's a practical workflow I use regularly that might help you too:

The "Smart Research" Prompt Chain

1. Start with ChatGPT:
Topic: [Your Topic]
Goal: Create a research framework
Questions to answer:
- What are the key areas to explore?
- What might I be missing?
- Where are the potential pitfalls?

2. Take that output to Claude:
"Review this framework and add:
1. Critical perspectives I'm missing
2. Common mistakes to avoid
3. Practical next steps"

3. Combine both responses for a comprehensive view

Simple but practical. 😊

Moving Forward

Rather than pretending to be an expert, I'm embracing my role as an active explorer and documenter of this new territory. Every failed prompt, every successful integration, every learning moment – they're all part of a larger story that might help others on their journey.

I'm curious about your experience:

• Are you also building while learning?

• What's your messy middle looking like?

• How are you approaching the AI-first journey?

Let's connect on Twitter [@ohdearitsmandy] and drop your thoughts!

P.S. If you're interested in more practical experiments and honest documentation, check out:

• ChatGPT Scheduled Tasks: How I Revolutionized My AI Workflow Automation

• From Idea to Database: My Journey with iPhone Shortcuts & AI

• The Anxiety Helper App

Remember, we're all building and learning in public here - no perfection required! 🚀

What I read today:

The article, that inspired this blog post 😉

What I saw today:

What I listened to today:

What I liked today:

That’s it for today! ☺️

_Disclaimer:

_{This blog reflects my personal learning journey and experiments with technology. These are my own experiences and observations as I explore the fascinating world of tech and AI.}

_{Developed with research, image generation and writing assistance using AI.}