Getting Started with AI: My Honest 90-Day Beginner Log (January–April 2026)
Hey everyone. I'm Zakariae Jabel. This is not a success story. This is a documentation of my first 90 days trying to earn money online using only free AI tools while working a full-time job. I tracked every hour, every dollar, and every failure. Let's dive in.
Why I Chose Only 3 Tools
In week one, I tried to learn 7 tools simultaneously. My laptop crashed, and I was completely confused. By week two, I simplified my approach:
- ChatGPT (Free tier) – for writing and idea generation.
- Canva (Free tier) – for design and templates.
- CapCut (Free phone app) – for video editing.
My rule: 1 hour per day maximum. No paid plans. My goal wasn't $1,000. My goal was to finish 30 days without quitting. That was the only metric that mattered.
PART 1: ChatGPT – My 45-Day Writing Test
Everyone says "use ChatGPT to write." I did exactly that, but I tracked every single minute to see if it was actually saving time or just creating more work.
Week 1-2: Learning Prompts
I spent 10 hours just learning how to ask the right questions. My first prompts were terrible: "write me a blog post." The result was generic garbage that sounded like a robot. My better prompt evolved into:
"Give me 5 bullet points about [topic] for beginners, then I will expand each one myself."
I created a simple system: ChatGPT for outline (5 min) → Google for fact-checking (20 min) → My writing (35 min). Total time per 800-word article: 60 minutes.
Week 3-4: First Clients
I made 5 sample articles about AI tools and saved them as PDFs. I sent 31 cold messages on Instagram to small Moroccan businesses. My message was brutally honest:
"I'm learning, I can write 2 product descriptions for $15."
- 29 ignored me.
- 1 said no.
- 1 said yes – a shop selling phone cases in Casablanca.
I used ChatGPT to generate ideas for descriptions, then rewrote 100% in Darija and French. I delivered in 2 days. He paid $30 via bank transfer. My first online money.
That's $1.50/hour. Not good, but real.
My 3 Best Prompts (Copy These)
"Act as a beginner blogger. List 7 mistakes when starting with [topic]. Keep each point under 15 words."
2️⃣ Explain Like I'm 15:
"Explain [complex topic] like I'm 15 years old. Use simple examples."
3️⃣ Headline Generator:
"Give me 3 different headlines for an article about my experience with. Make them personal, not clickbait."
Important: I never use the output directly. I use it as a starting point, then delete about 70% and rewrite it myself. That's the difference between sounding like AI and sounding human.
PART 2: Canva – From Zero to First Portfolio
I am terrible at design. I can't draw. Canva's free version was my only hope.
Day 1-10: Copying
I watched YouTube tutorials at 1.5x speed and copied exactly what they did. I made 23 ugly designs and deleted 20. My first good one was a simple Instagram quote post. It took 47 minutes.
Day 11-30: Free Work
I offered a free pack of 10 posts to a friend's coffee shop. He said yes because it was free. I spent 3 evenings (about 8 hours total) making them. He posted 3, ignored 7. I learned that clients don't know what they want until they see it.
What Actually Sells (Beginner Edition)
From my research, beginners don't sell "logos." They sell:
- 30 Instagram templates for $15
- Resume designs for $10
- Simple YouTube thumbnails
All require a portfolio first. Nobody hires a designer without seeing their work, even if it's free work.
PART 3: CapCut – The Hardest One
Video editing looked easy on TikTok. It was not. I tried to edit a 30-second video for my blog. It took 3 hours and 17 minutes. I timed it. The app crashed twice. The music was copyrighted. The final video got 212 views on TikTok and 0 clients.
I tried 5 more videos. Total views: 847. Total money: $0.
PART 4: The Blog That Changed Everything
In month 2, I stopped chasing clients and started documenting. I created EasyAIProfit on Blogger (free). I wrote one article every 3 days about what I was learning. I used ChatGPT for 20% (ideas), I wrote 80% myself.
My articles were bad at first. But article number 7, "My First 7 Days Testing AI Side Hustles," got 34 visitors from Google in one week. Why? Because it was real, not AI fluff.
📊 My Complete 90-Day Numbers (Unfiltered)
| Tool | Hours | Earned | Key Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Writing | 38 | $80 | 2 paying clients |
| Canva Design | 22 | $0 | Portfolio of 10 designs |
| CapCut Video | 15 | $0 | 847 views, 0 clients |
| Blogging | 31 | $25 | 341 visitors |
| TOTAL | 106 | $105 | $0.99/hour |
🗓️ If I Started Today: My 30-Day Plan
| Days | Focus | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1-7 | ChatGPT Only | Learn 3 prompts. Write 3 sample articles (500 words each). No clients. |
| 8-14 | Portfolio Building | Create a simple portfolio in Google Docs. Send 2 messages per day to local businesses. |
| 15-30 | First Paid Work | Do 1-2 small jobs for $10-$20, even if underpaid. The goal is testimonials, not money. |
Important: Do NOT touch Canva or CapCut until day 31. Focus wins. Spreading yourself thin guarantees failure.
🔗 Explore My Other Experiments
This was the detailed day-by-day log. If you want to see the quick overview of all 5 methods I tested (including the ones that completely failed), check out the summary post below:
👉 This post covers the quick wins and major failures across freelancing, KDP, affiliate marketing, and more.
How to Make Your First $100 with AI Freelancing
Step-by-step plan to land your first paying client using free AI tools.
The 30-Day AI Side Hustle Challenge
A day-by-day action plan to build a real side hustle from scratch in one month.
5 Ways I Tried to Make Money with ChatGPT
My unfiltered results testing freelancing, KDP, affiliate marketing, and more.
AI Freelancing: 7 Skills That Pay Up to $150/Hour
Discover high-paying AI skills you can start learning today with zero investment.
New Here? Start Your AI Journey
I organized all my best guides, experiments, and tools into one simple roadmap — so you know exactly where to begin.
📘 Explore the Full Roadmap →One page · All my best content · Updated regularly
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