TL;DR: I'm weighing whether to rely on existing tools or build my own for my offers, books, and training. What matters is whether each path helps my goal and is worth the changes and upkeep. Some decisions are made; others stay open.
Weight training and learning what works for me
I have always been physically active, sometimes more intense than others but I know how important it is to keep my body maintained and moving. So a few years ago (by few I mean 30) I decided to hire a trainer to help me with a weight training routine. I wanted good foundation and bones to grow on. I knew that form was as important as weight and type. But I also wanted experience to be in my corner.
One thing I learned that I would not have known otherwise: it's not about the machine you use. Some exercises can be more effective with dumbbells or plates instead of machines.
That opened me up to a lot of trial and error, including uncomfortable times of being in the "muscle head" parts of the gym. Which has become my favorite place now. Not because of the benches or dumbbells or old school machines that look like torture devices. Because of the people and the knowledge and the helpfulness. Sometimes it makes more sense to rely on the expertise and solutions of others, even if I need a few minor adjustments to make it work. Other times it makes more sense to create custom options for my needs.
These are the lessons I take with me when looking for apps and software to help me with my business.
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Hi, I’m Lee. Welcome to DigiNav Compass Signal. Around here, I share what happens when AI and technology meet a real business—the useful parts, the messy parts, and what you can take into your own work.
Today, I’ll be showing you three decisions I’m in the middle of, each one a choice between relying on what’s already built or building my own, and the questions and prompt I use to sort them out.
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Rely on what's built, or build my own?
Before the year ends, I want my offers ready, my books reviewed, and my next 12 weeks of weight training mapped out.
For each one, there's something already built. An app someone else made, or one I've used for years. And with AI, building something of my own is a real option now too.
This isn't a "don't use other people's apps, build your own" story. Sometimes what's built is the right call. Sometimes custom is. The question I keep coming back to is simpler: does this tool help me meet my goal, or pull me off it?
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What to think about: Does the tool help, and is the change worth it?
When I'm trying something, I'm checking two things. Does the tool help me meet my goal? And if I have to change how I work to use it, is that change worth it?
Here's how that's playing out.
My offers. I'm testing SaySo, and I have to say, it's almost perfect. Almost, because I need to collect some information during checkout, so this isn't a "normal" digital product checkout. For now, I'm using what I already have on WP Site Success. That solution won't work on DigiNav, though. I reached out to Kim, SaySo's creator, and I think she'll work out the problem for me.
The bigger issue is that I'm working in two brands, each with its own web framework. A solution for one may not be the solution for both. What I'm really trying to do is streamline my tech and make it easier.
My books. My original question to AI was: if I connect my finances, can you handle bookkeeping tracking, estimated 1040 tax payments, and reports for my accountant? I couldn't keep up with the transaction categories, the balancing, and making sure I had receipts for expenses in my current program. Basically, I wanted AI to do the work for me instead of paying for a bookkeeping service.
It came down to no, because the program I'm using works. The problem was never the program. It's the one-off categorizations, and making sure everything is properly categorized, documented, and reconciled so the reports and the information I'm looking at are correct.
So I either need a better way to handle that, or I rehire a bookkeeper. Rehiring doesn't make sense when AI can do that review. I haven't done the AI review yet. It's still a goal.
That's the part I think gets missed. When something feels broken, it's easy to want to replace the whole thing. The problem may not be the tool. It may be the work around it.
My training. This one is still open. It's a personal goal, and what I have is working. I use Hevy to track my workouts and Apple Health for my cardio. Hevy lets me use AI to review my records and help create new programs. But it doesn't sync both ways with Apple Health, so when I use AI, it only sees half the picture.
I can export what I've lifted: the weights, the reps, the outcomes, each exercise day. I can use that along with my Health connection to see the bigger picture. I can also have Hevy create a workout plan in the app, but it's a bit generic, and I find I'm always making tweaks to it.
So do I really want to create a health app tailored to me, one that uses my Apple Watch to record weights, sets, and times?
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What can go wrong: Changing how I work to fit the tool
The risk is getting caught up in what the tool can do, or changing how I work to fit it, instead of actually moving toward my goal. On the flip side, there's the risk of implementing something new that, in the end, doesn't work and puts you back at square one.
Right now, we're told to build it ourselves because AI takes away the learning curve. We're watching others vibe code their way to solutions that look good on paper. But they're building things for themselves and the way they work.
And just because you can build a replacement doesn't make it better. Take the bookkeeping scenario. There's a lot to consider when building an accounting app, including continual changes to tax laws, reporting rules, and connection security.
Same goes for an app to track my workouts. I'm sure that if I put my nose to the grindstone, I could come up with an app for my fitness needs. But what happens when Apple changes its software? And how much time will it take to get it working, tested, and tweaked? Time is money, after all, and I have more than enough to keep my attention where it's needed.
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What comes next: Reviewing options, watching for changes and figuring best fits
Part of meeting, and exceeding, my end-of-year goals means keeping an eye on implementation too. That means watching for changes in software and tech to figure out the best fit. Instead of embracing the next change or cool thing, I have a prompt that works through these questions:
Does it help me meet my goal? Not what it can do. What it does for the goal in front of me.
What do I have to change to use it, and is that change worth it?
Is the problem the tool, or the work around it? My bookkeeping program wasn't the problem. Keeping up with the categories and receipts was.
If I build it, who keeps it working? Software updates, rule changes, security, and the time it pulls from everything else.
Does it need to work in more than one place? What fits one brand or site may not fit the other.
The reason I take this to AI and my advisors is what I call the blinders challenge. We can't see what's right in front of us, and we don't know what we don't know. When you noodle with your AI of choice, you can say "I don't know," and that kicks off a let's-work-through-this scenario.
Here's the prompt. Fill in the brackets and paste it into your AI of choice:
I'm deciding whether to switch, keep, or build my own version of a tool.
My goal: [what you're trying to get done]
The tool: [the app or system you're looking at]
What I use now: [your current setup, or "nothing yet"]
Where it's falling short: [what isn't working]
Work through these with me, one at a time:
1. Does this tool help me meet my goal, or is it just impressive?
2. What would I have to change about how I work to use it, and is that change worth it?
3. Is the problem the tool, or the work around it?
4. If I build my own, who keeps it working? Think about software updates, rule changes, security, and the time it takes from everything else.
5. Does it need to work in more than one place, like another brand or site?
Ask me questions when you need more information. If I answer "I don't know," help me work through it instead of guessing. Point out anything I'm not seeing.• ● • ● • ●•
Where I've landed, for now
Offers: While I wait for Kim to tell me if this is possible in SaySo, I'm tabling this decision. I can fall back on a form and a Stripe link for now. SaySo stays an open option.
Books: I'm keeping my current software because it works, but I'll have AI review and categorize the transactions that need to be addressed. I can also have it match receipts based on email notifications.
Training: This isn't a today problem. It's working, little glitches and all. But I'll rely on AI to review the information I give it and help me tweak my current lifts.
For now, you're seeing the inside of these goals and experiments. Open decisions stay open, and that's okay. They can still move forward, workarounds and all.
If you're in the same room as me, pick one tool you have doubts about and run it through the prompt.
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I'm always on the lookout for new solutions. If you have an app, or you're creating something, please share it. Speaking of which, my friends Daniel (Dig. Craft Workshop) (Reel Pipeline Studio) and Finn Tropy (StackContacts Studio) have new apps that I'm finding useful and user-friendly.