The AI Power Hour
How to go from idea to prototype in just 60 minutes using AI and no-code tools
Bethany Crystal
4 min read·
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Lately, I’ve been experimenting with a simple idea: What if you gave yourself just one hour to build something real with AI and no-code tools? I call it the AI Power Hour, and it’s become my favorite way to break through inertia and make fast, meaningful progress.
In the past three weeks alone, I’ve:
Built 2 mini-apps (and prototyped them in real-time classroom pilots)
Tested 3 landing page formats for a new idea I'm kicking around
Converted an old content library into markdown files and kicked around context remixers with Claude Code
Created and launched the website for my new AI workshops business, Build First Academy
Made a couple of "disposable" apps for friends to show off a new idea or testing framework
None of these projects are "finished," but all of them have seen the light of day and gotten real feedback, which is making my iteration cycle tighter than ever.
In each project, I've made the most significant progress in all of these projects in the first hour of building. That's where the magic happens.
The AI Power Hour is a 60-minute, time-boxed sprint where anyone (yes, even non-engineers!) can go from idea to working prototype using AI and no-code tools. With the right prompt and problem framing, you can make real progress fast and start building like you mean it.
I first started testing out the AI Power Hour concept during my project, The Five Day Build, where I set out to progressively iterate on a fun idea (ie: creating a faux-sitcom pilot about my very real life) in just five days. I was amazed by how far I was able to get on a project with just deliberate, intentional habit setting of 60 minutes a day.
That's why, in every workshop and training that I run through Build First Academy, we build an "AI Power Hour" into the schedule. Everyone walks away with a working prototype.
People tend to look at me like I'm crazy when I suggest we'll have live software demos after just one hour of building. But once someone spins up a working dashboard that solves a real problem, the lightbulbs go off. Suddenly, everyone’s in.
While the fast-paced, iterative co-prompting with AI tools can feel a lot more like an improv class than a classic engineering design sprint, it's essential to start out with a pretty good idea of what you're setting out to build.
Here’s how to set yourself up for a great Power Hour:
Start with a sharply scoped problem.
Maybe you want to make a personal website. Maybe you're testing a new product idea. Maybe you just want to play with image or video generation. Whatever it is, define what success looks like. Remember: If you can’t put the idea into words, you won't be able to explain what you want to a large language model, either.Pick your tools ahead of time.
There are a lot of AI tools out there. I usually choose 2–3 per build: One for ideating, one for creating, one for prototyping, and sometimes one for debugging or scaling. Lock in your tool stack before the timer starts so you don’t lose momentum.Think in tabs.
The Power Hour gets wild when you’re prompting across multiple threads at once. I’ll often have Claude working on branding, ChatGPT shaping a database schema, and Replit generating a front end...all at the same time. It’s chaotic, but when it clicks, it compounds.Choose your starter prompt with care.
A vague prompt will kill your hour. Before I open any builder, I validate the idea, simplify it to an MVP I can actually ship in an hour, and have AI talk me through the technical bits. Only once I’ve grounded the concept do I hit go.Keep moving.
It’s tempting to polish the last 20% of your output. Don’t. You’ll lose your momentum and derail the session. Your only job in the Power Hour is to express the full shape of the idea in working software. You can edit later. If it’s good enough, you'll naturally come back to it.
A lot of people ask me about the tools I use for AI. I tend to pick 1 or 2 in each category and gravitate toward using them for a 3 or 4 week cycle. Lately I've been doing more with Claude Code, but I still typically start out with a long context window in ChatGPT to get the ideas flowing.
The goal of the Power Hour is simple: Express the idea just enough to show it to someone else.
Don't get too hung up on the bigger picture, the broader implications, or the scalability just yet. You can always come back for the polish later.
Used correctly, this can be an incredibly powerful paradigm that turns the way you work upside down. Whether you work for yourself (or on a large team), building something first unlocks enormous creative potential with relatively limited downside.
Want to try it? If you're curious about how to get started, tune into this 90-minute workshop with Girls Who Code about how to build a business from scratch with AI.
In this training, I shared how to take a resume and turn it into a personal website using Replit a no-code builder. We then transformed that website into a website builder with just two more prompts. If 400+ of us could do this on a call in under an hour, you can do it too!
Want even more power? I'm now offering corporate trainings, workshops, and facilitated build sessions through my AI workshops business, Build First Academy. If you're excited to explore what the power of building first can do to transform the way your team using AI, give a shout, or learn more at https://buildfirst.ai/.
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