Week 4 · Lab
Final Lab: Build + Plan
This is it. The final lab. Four weeks, 24 days, and you've gone from "I've tried ChatGPT a few times" to understanding how AI actually works, how to get great results from it, and how to integrate it into real work.
Today we're going to do two things: build a custom AI tool for your most important recurring task, and write your personal AI strategy. This will take about 20 minutes, maybe a bit more if you get into it.
Don't rush this. It's the thing you'll actually take with you.
Part 1: Build Your Custom AI Tool (10 minutes)
You're going to create a Custom GPT or Claude Project for the one recurring task that eats the most time in your work week.
Think about it. What do you do every single week that follows a pattern? Weekly reports. Client emails. Meeting prep. Project updates. Status summaries. Content drafts. Pick the one that would save you the most time if it were 80% automated.
Got it? Good.
If you're using ChatGPT (Custom GPTs):
- Go to chat.openai.com
- Click your name (bottom left), then "My GPTs," then "Create a GPT"
- In the Instructions box, write exactly what this tool should do. Be specific. Include: what role the AI should play, what context it needs, what the output should look like, and what to avoid.
- Upload any reference documents: templates, past examples, style guides.
- Name it something you'll remember. Save it.
If you're using Claude (Projects):
- Go to claude.ai
- Click "Projects" in the left sidebar
- Create a new project. Give it a clear name.
- Write your instructions in the project description. Same rules: role, context, output format, what to avoid.
- Upload reference files. Claude can hold a lot of context here, so give it everything relevant.
- Start a conversation inside the project and test it.
Now test it with real data. Don't use a hypothetical. Pull up your actual notes, your actual report from last week, your actual client email. Paste it in. See what you get.
If the output is off, iterate. Adjust the instructions. Add an example of what good output looks like. Tell it what it got wrong. This is exactly the skill you built in Week 2.
Keep going until the output is something you'd actually use. That's your bar. Not perfect. Actually useful.
Part 2: Write Your Personal AI Strategy (10 minutes)
Open a doc. Any doc. And answer three questions:
1. What are my 3 core AI tools?
Which tools earned a permanent spot in your workflow? For most people this will be some combination of ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity (perplexity.ai), and NotebookLM (notebooklm.google.com). Write down which ones and what you use each for. Be specific.
2. What are my 3 AI workflows?
What recurring tasks will you use AI for every week going forward? Not aspirational. Not "maybe someday." The three workflows you're committing to starting tomorrow. Examples: draft all first-pass emails with AI. Prep for every meeting using AI. Generate weekly reports with your custom tool.
3. What are my 3 AI habits?
Pull from what you learned this course. Some options: default to AI first before starting any task. Iterate on every AI output at least once. Try one new AI tool or feature per week. Read one AI newsletter daily. Whatever three habits you'll actually stick to.
Write these down. Seriously. The act of writing it makes it three times more likely you'll do it. That's not an AI stat. That's just how humans work.
Part 3: Share It (2 minutes)
Send your strategy to one person. A colleague. A friend. Your manager. Post it on LinkedIn if you want.
This isn't about showing off. It's about accountability. When you tell someone your plan, you're more likely to follow through. Pick one person and send it today. Not tomorrow. Today.
Final Reflection
Before you close this out, sit with this question for a minute:
What's the single biggest thing that changed about how you think about AI?
Not what tool you learned. Not what prompt worked best. How did your thinking change?
Maybe you realized AI isn't magic, it's a tool you can get good at. Maybe you stopped being intimidated and started being practical. Maybe you saw how much time you were leaving on the table.
Whatever it is, that shift in thinking is worth more than any individual technique from this course. Techniques change as tools evolve. The right mental model carries you forward no matter what comes next.
What Now?
This course is done, but you're just getting started. You have the foundation. You have the habits. You have a plan.
The professionals who will thrive in the next few years aren't the ones who know the most about AI. They're the ones who use it consistently, think critically about it, and keep getting better.
You're now one of those people. Go prove it.
Ready for the Next Level?
If you want to keep going, AI 201: Build Your AI System picks up right where you left off. It's a 14-day course that takes you from "I use AI sometimes" to "AI runs inside everything I do." Custom assistants, automated workflows, Claude Cowork, scheduled tasks — the infrastructure that turns AI literacy into AI power.
You have everything you need. The only thing left is to use it.