Randall

Week One: Back to Building

First week back in 2026 - setting up systems, AI assistance, and getting organized

Week One: Back to Building - Hero Image

First week back to work in 2026. Had a good break with the family and kids, but honestly spent a lot of it building apps. Can’t help it.

Over the holidays I finished Real Estate Manager (property management dashboard), wrapped up RentLedger (rent tracking that doesn’t suck), and a few other things that might turn into something. There’s just something about having no meetings that makes you actually productive.

Setting up Will

This week I set up Will - my AI assistant. It’s built on Clawdbot, which is way more than just another ChatGPT wrapper. This thing actually has access to my calendar, tracks my business expenses, and remembers stuff between conversations.

Took a few hours to get everything wired up, but now it:

  • Logs my truck mileage automatically (for taxes)
  • Syncs with my iCloud calendar
  • Reminds me to collect rent every week
  • Checks in with me at 4 PM daily to see what got done

The difference is it writes everything to files, not just “remembers” in context. So when I tell it something, it’s actually saved. No more “mental notes” that disappear.

Actually getting organized

The system I have now:

  • Business miles tracked automatically - Chula Vista house every Wednesday (8.2 mi round trip), Alton 4-plex every Saturday (17.2 mi)
  • All expenses logged (gas, insurance, maintenance)
  • Calendar has everything - rent collection, yard work, tenant move-outs
  • Daily check-ins so nothing falls through the cracks

I’ve tried being organized before. Every system failed because I had to maintain it. This one just runs.

Why I’m writing this

Just documenting the journey. Not trying to build an audience or anything, just want a record of what I built and what actually worked.

Building in public keeps you honest too. If I say I’m tracking expenses, I better actually track them. If I say I shipped an app, there’s a repo to prove it.

What’s next

2026 started with systems instead of resolutions. The organizing part is handled now, so I can just focus on building better stuff.

I’ll write more about the apps soon. For now, back to work.

This post (and this whole blog) is managed with Will’s help. I write, he formats and publishes. That’s the workflow.