From Complex Projects to a 2-Week App Launch: How AI Made It Possible

Source: Dev.to

I’ve spent years building complex, ambitious projects—big codebases, lots of features… and very little success. I tried to save money by relying on open‑source services, avoiding paid third‑party tools.

In reality, small projects often don’t get enough attention from open‑source or free services. Many things still required workarounds, hacks, or complicated integrations, so I spent more time wrestling with infrastructure than building the app itself.

This time, I decided to do it differently. I wanted to launch fast, focus on the product, and enjoy the process.

My 2-Week App Journey

I built a mindfulness app, Choose Like Buddha, in just two weeks. Here’s what I did differently:

Leverage AI for development

• Used Cursor to generate boilerplate code and speed up repetitive tasks.
• AI chat assistants (like ChatGPT) helped me plan functions, write utility code, and even refactor logic faster.
• AI tools saved me hours of debugging and coding from scratch.

Use reliable third‑party services

• Supabase for the backend and database (no need to manage servers).
• PostHog for analytics and user‑behavior tracking.
• RevenueCat for in‑app purchases and subscription management.

These services handled the heavy lifting so I could focus on app logic and UX.

Focus on a small, achievable goal

• Instead of building a massive app, I built one core functionality: daily mindful decision‑making exercises.
• Added small supporting tools: breathing exercises and food‑awareness tracking.
• Released in the App Store after two weeks, and I genuinely loved using it myself.

How to Use AI in App Development

Here’s how I personally used AI tools to speed up development:

Boilerplate & scaffolding

Write a React Native screen template for a daily quiz with multiple-choice answers.

AI provides the starting code; you just adjust styles and logic.

Backend & database queries

Generate a Supabase query to fetch user answers and calculate correct rate per day.

AI produces ready‑to‑use snippets that save debugging time.

Refactoring & optimization

Refactor this function to be cleaner and more efficient.

Works surprisingly well for repetitive utility functions.

Documentation & instructions

• AI can generate README files, setup instructions, or code comments instantly.

Troubleshooting

• Explain your error message to AI and ask for debugging tips — often faster than Google searches.

Key Takeaways

• Launch small and fast — perfection can wait.
• Don’t fear paid third‑party services — they often save more time than they cost.
• Use AI to accelerate development, reduce frustration, and stay creative.
• Focus on core functionality and release early — the app you love using is already a success.

If you want to explore mindful decision‑making in daily life, you can check out my app here: Choose Like Buddha