My 30-Day AI Challenge: What I Learned Recording 31 Videos

Lessons I learnt from my AI Challenge

It started at the end of July, in a coworking space with a friend.

She was struggling with her presentation design and asked if I could help.

Instead of fixing it myself, I showed her the AI workflow I had been testing.

She was impressed.

We spent another 30 minutes together.

I shared a few more examples, small things that made my work faster.

A week later she told me: “Lena, that half hour with you now saves me four hours a day. You should share more of this. It’s super useful.”

Her words stayed with me, and in the following weeks I had similar conversations with friends and colleagues.

They were curious about AI.

But they were missing concrete, everyday examples.

Why I Did the 31-Day AI Challenge

AI is changing how we work and how we create.
What once took hours, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, MidJourney, or Google AI can now do in minutes.

For the past two years, I’ve been experimenting with AI.

And step by step, it has become part of my daily workflow.

Along the way, I’ve picked up things that make my work faster and lighter.

The conversation with my friend, made me realised that what I’ve learnt can also be useful for others.

So I decided I would record one 5 minute video every day for 31 days.

Each video would show a simple, practical way to use AI.

That’s how the 31-Day AI challenge began.

Why I Decided to Show Up Every Day for a Month

When I started this challenge, my personal goal was to learn to communicate better.
I’ve always admired people who can sit in front of a camera and speak clearly, naturally, and with confidence.

I also wanted to build consistency.

And finally, I was curious.

Could I really do this every single day for a month?

Could I manage the discipline, the creativity, and the logistics while still running my work and life?

31 Days, 31 videos: The biggest challenges

The 31-Day AI Challenge was not a smooth ride.

Here are the biggest challenges I encountered:

• Timing:

I started during the summer holidays.

I moved a lot between places.

At my in-laws’ home in Germany.

At a campsite in the north of Spain.

 At my mother’s house in the mountains.

At the Nest in Jerez.

Every new place meant a different setup.

• Equipment

Camera. Tripod. Microphone.

All new to me.

I didn’t even know how to set the sound properly.

Some videos turned out too dark.

Others were noisy.

At the beginning, a five-minute video took me at least an hour and a half to make.

By the end of the challenge, I could record one in less than thirty minutes.

• Speaking to the camera

Speaking to the camera also felt awkward.

I didn’t like how I looked or sounded.

But I decided to publish the videos anyway.

• Working with an editor

It was my first time collaborating with a video editor.

I had edited videos earlier in my career, but the tools and styles had changed a lot since then.

I had to learn what worked.

So I watched a lot of YouTube videos.

And then I had to learn to explain what I wanted.

• Consistency

In the first week, I had a small batch of videos ready.

After that, I had to record daily.

Some evenings, it was late. I was tired. I still managed to set up the camera and did it anyway.

• YouTube

YouTube was a new world for me.

Claire, my brand advisor at Share, had been telling me for a while: you should try it, share your views there.

But everything felt unfamiliar.

Thumbnails.

Tags.

Views.

I didn’t know much at the start.

Each step was slow.

But by the end of the challenge, I had a better understanding of what worked.

The process was messy. But the mess taught me a lot!

Seven Lessons From 31 Days

1. Beginnings are always awkward

On day one, I felt clumsy.

I repeated myself.

I lost track.

I sucked.

But beginnings are always awkward.

That discomfort is the doorway in.

2. Improvement comes with practice

By day ten, I noticed a change.

My sentences flowed more naturally.

I could look at the lens without freezing.

Practice makes it lighter.

3. Action beats perfection

If I had waited for the perfect setup, I would still be waiting.

Recording daily remembered me that progress comes from doing, not from planning. And progress matters more than perfect.

4. Clarity sometimes comes from doing

When I started, I wasn’t sure how the challenge will turn out.

But recording daily gave me clarity.

I learned what topics resonated, what style felt good to me, and what I enjoyed most.

Doing often creates focus.

5. Consistency makes all the difference

It’s easy to be motivated on day one.

It’s much harder on day 21, when you’re tired, busy, and uninspired.

Consistency is less about motivation and more about discipline.

The same is true for sport, for business, for learning any new skill.

Consistency is what makes the difference.

6. Putting yourself out there is powerful

Perhaps the most valuable lesson: putting yourself out there changes you.

The challenge pushed me outside my comfort zone.

And once you’ve been outside of it long enough, the comfort zone expands.

The confidence that comes from putting yourself out there is powerful.

7. Loving the process is your competitive advantage

Anyone can have ideas. What makes a difference is the ability to show up and execute, even when conditions aren’t ideal. Recording in different places forced me to adapt..The process itself became valuable.

Final Reflection: What I Took Away

Recording 31 videos in 31 days was a real challenge.

But it was also a great learning experience.

I learnt a ton of things.

I built confidence.

I created a habit of showing up.

The challenge also gave me something unexpected.

It opened new connections.

I received generous feedback from people who watched.

And by sharing daily, I became clearer about my own AI workflow.

And what I take with me is this: transparency is the new currency.

That, more than anything, is the real result of the AI challenge.