Year in Review: 2025
This was a year of peaks and valleys.
I started strong with a website redesign and a blog post recapping the work. It became my most viewed blog post of the year! I put a lot of effort into it, and I’m chuffed with how well it was received. Following the redesign, I started a newsletter which evolved from writing about the whims of my day to something focused on coding, writing, and design.
Then summer rolled around and I took an unplanned hiatus from being productive. It's the same old story, life and work got in the way. The very same inertia I felt pulling me up the peak, was now keeping me at rest. I stopped sending out newsletters. Stopped working on side projects. And blog posts sat in my drafts folder collecting digital dust.
Thankfully, I ended the year strong by publishing said posts. I'm particularly proud of my post comparing different mobile friendly CMSs. I pushed myself to connect and contribute to digital communities again. Posting on Bluesky and joining the Overcommitted Discord. I read the hundreds of unread articles in my RSS reader, and got back to tinkering with side projects. Essentially, the last bit of the year was focused on building the inertia to create again.
I'm annoyed that I wasn't more consistent in 2025. But I did learn something about myself.
Even if I stop, I'm still able to come back.
I've always wondered why I work on side projects or write. Am I doing it for myself? Or because it's what others tell me I should do? But now I know I do it because I really enjoy it. Even if I take a long break, it'll always be there when I'm ready. And there's something quite forgiving about this thought.
This year in lists
Stuff I wrote
I'm very happy with the four blog posts I published. Even if it's less than last year.
- Redesigning my site: Version 3
- Mobile-Friendly Headless CMS's with Astro
- Loading Ghost CMS posts with Astro Content Collections
- Lessons I learnt from my first year of building a DevEx team
I sent 15 newsletters. My fav was about developing my writing style. Surprisingly I actually achieved my newsletter goal which was to send 12 newsletters.
Fav podcasts
I listened to 9,187 minutes of podcasts this year. And these were my fav podcasts ranked by listen time!
Overcommitted
Fun podcast, with interesting topics and guests. I totally resonate with the developer that's overcommitted as well!
Syntax
My go to podcast to keep up to date with web development.
Growth in reverse
A podcast about newsletter growth strategies. Even though I haven't sent a newsletter in a long time, it's interesting hearing about how newsletters operate behind the scenes.
Fork around and find out
Great tech guests and the main infra focused podcast I listen to.
ShopTalk Show
I came to learn about web dev. But I stayed for the top notch banter.
Fav games
Valheim
It's a nordic open world survival game with deep building and combat mechanics. You play as a viking reborn in Valhalla, either solo or co-op. It's very fun and very addicting with friends. I felt like a viking, travelling the vast ocean to explore new lands.
Hades 2
A rogue like dungeon crawler with beautiful graphics, sound design, and an addictive gameplay loop. The dialog with Gods of Olympus alone is what makes me want to start another run.
Thronefall
A cute tower defense game. I got it recently because I wanted something that was more chill than Valheim and Hades 2. It's perfect if you only have 30 minutes and you want something strategic but low stakes.
Future plans
Next year, I just want to be able to answer this question:
What have you been up to since I've seen you last?
I don't know why, but when someone asks me this question, my mind goes into a panic. What have I been doing? Why can't I remember? Is living an answer?
I'll be theming my year around intentionality. And by doing so I'm hoping to be more aware and present in what I do. To be more intentional with my time and to remember what the hell I've been doing.
I'm grateful for all the connections I've made in 2025. It's been an up and down year and I appreciate all of you who have stayed in touch even after I dropped off the grid for half the year. Sending you all good vibes for 2026.