What an LLM can and can't do
I share the view that an LLM is already a serious aid for developers and speeds up software creation. But I don't share the inflated expectations that development as a process can already be handed over to an LLM entirely — at least not today. You need a technical specialist who understands the development process, uses the LLM's capabilities skillfully, and can manually review the changed code to make sure nothing extra has slipped in.
But when it comes to an app "for yourself," where the requirements for the product are much lower (lost a week of data — no big deal), I warmly recommend that anyone with the time and interest try making their own small app.
What kind of app is it?
Many of you surely know the Pomodoro Technique. It's a simple way to increase work efficiency by limiting work and rest time. Occupational health guidance recommends taking regular breaks so the brain can rest from intensive work.
According to the Pomodoro Technique, you set a timer for 20–25 minutes and let yourself work in a focused way on one task during that time, without being distracted by anything else. Then comes a break, usually 5 minutes. During this time, on the contrary, you should switch off and rest. Then the next work cycle begins. After four cycles, a more substantial break is recommended.
The length of the cycles and their number are variable, and everyone can choose the values that feel comfortable.
What's already in the App Store?
The Pomodoro Technique is quite well known, and there are plenty of apps in the App Store that implement this logic. But I didn't find an app that fit my specific requirements. So I spent one evening building a simple solution, which is by no means a finished product for general use.
What did I use?
All I needed was a computer running the operating system the mini app was being built for — in this case macOS — and a Claude subscription, which gives access to Claude Code.
After that, you just describe to Claude Code what solution you want, make corrections, and after a few iterations enjoy the result.
The result
In my case, I ended up with the following app.
Conclusion
Overall, I ended up with an app I've now been using for a second month. It's a good personal tool for later analysis of time spent. In my opinion, a use case like this is an ideal candidate for interested people from outside the programming world to try out Claude Code.
