Community Challenge 3/52: 1 week to code an app

day 4 of 7: coding

my senior developer friend told me: "plan first. think about each feature. map the user journey. THEN build."

I didn't listen.

now the app works!!

users can sign up. track their progress. see their streak. earn XP.

aaaand it looks terrible…

I jumped straight into prompting Claude Code. "build this, add that, now this."

it worked. technically.

but the design and flow are chaos.

my lesson today: the hard part isn't coding anymore, it's thinking clearly about what you're building BEFORE you build it.

I've now rebuilt it, after a 1 hour conversation with AI, looks much better.

the other thing I'm realizing (again):

sleep.

I slept 5 hours two nights ago. thought I’m fine.

wrong.

bad sleep doesn't ruin one day. it ruins TWO:

day 1: your brain never consolidated the learning, you're still behind

day 2: you can't think clearly, you make bad decisions, bad mood

week 1: discipline

week 2: your limits are weak stories you tell yourself

week 3: plan before you build. and sleep.

3 more days to make this app NOT embarrassing.

What are you building or learning this week?

PS: share with someone learning to code: 53skills.com

If you missed week 2, HERE are the 7 lessons for language learning.

Reply to this email with all your questions, comments, or tips, I will answer.

Or share with friends who want to join.

- Alex