Hack, Reflect, Look Forward: Building FLTK with Google Gemini

This is a submission for the Built with Google Gemini: Writing Challenge Every great project starts with a spark, and every great builder knows that the learning doesn't simply end because the deadline hits. Recently, I participated in building FLTK (Freelancer Toolkit) —a dedicated project aimed at solving common headaches for independent workers. Throughout this journey, Google Gemini was my pair programmer, technical sounding board, and rubber duck. Here is a look back on what we built, what surprised me, and where I'm headed next. GitHub FLTK What I Built with Google Gemini The Overview I built FLTK (Freelancer Toolkit) , a self-hosted, offline-first web application built with Flask . It acts as a centralized dashboard that brings together every tool a freelancer needs in one place. The Problem It Solves Freelancers often juggle half a dozen apps: one app for time tracking, a spreadsheet for expenses, another service for invoicing, and a custom formula for predicting whether they c