How I spent my holiday break
And what will 2025 look like?
I'm slowly getting back into the proverbial swing of things in the new year.
While I've still been writing at least 750 words everyday (794 day streak at the moment!), I've taken a short rest from structured content on this publication.
And while it has felt a little strange to take this break from posting, it has been good for me. It has given me a chance to take a small step back and look at the bigger picture of why I write and how I want to continue writing.
What did I do for the end of 2024?
Much of the normal holiday stuff. Lots of time with my wife and two young children. Playing with some new tech toys. Getting plenty of outdoor time to counteract the inherent stress of Christmas with children.
What kind of fun tech toys have I been playing with?
The big one has been a new BMW iX. While it may not be the Nimbus that I hoped for, it is a very futuristic EV with more tech features than I know what to do with. I imagine I'll have a more thorough writeup on some of the specific features once I've familiarized myself with them. I still plan on riding my bike for as many of my transportation needs as possible, but the iX is a lovely way to make longer journeys more pleasant.
After receiving it a few weeks back, I finally got around to installing the new Nest Gen 4 thermostat. It really is as beautiful as all the reviews claim. It looks like I took the amazing glass dome display of my Pixel Watch 3 and stretched it out and slapped it on my wall. It certainly is an eye-catching addition to the smart home and the aesthetics alone are reason to recommend it. But aside from being pretty, it does offer up some new smarts that my old thermostat couldn't handle. It's another product that is worthy of an in-depth review in the future.
And that brings me to some thoughts on this publication. As much as I love the weekly rundowns and weekend thought pieces, there will likely be some more in-depth product reviews on the horizon. I often give superficial shoutouts to products or content that I have been enjoying, but I rarely go deep into the inner-workings. That is something that I want to do more of in 2025.
It likely will be that some of the more in-depth product reviews will be exclusive to paid subscribers. Those are the posts that require the most time and energy to produce and I think the value to paid subscribers will absolutely be justified. I'm still kicking around a few other ideas that will provide more value to paid subscribers but there will still be plenty of content coming for free accounts as well.
So this is another shameless New Year's plug to pledge your support to the publication if you haven't yet. I know some of you have been following along from the very early days back in 2021 and I appreciate you sticking around. I'm excited for some of the new content coming this year and it's only possible with the ongoing paid support of subscribers.
Aside from paid subscriptions, I am also looking to take on some new coaching clients in 2025. It is that magical time of the year when we all have ambitious goals that could use some support. I'm here to help!
I first started coaching in 2013 and have helped folks overcome negative tech habits, build businesses, establish mindfulness routines, and a whole lot more. If you want to have a quick (free!) chat with me to see if I may be able to help you out, feel free to book some time with me below.
Hope you're all feeling healthy and well-rested after the holidays. And I hope you're entering the new year with just the right amount of ambitious (but not too insane) goals, resolutions, objectives, and whatever other way you want to describe them.
Happy 2025, and here's to another year of delivering valuable content that help you learn, laugh, and become a more well-rounded digital citizen.
Hey! Could you use some help establishing healthy habits? Do you have a big project or new business that you want to get off the ground but could use some advice? Maybe you could benefit from hiring me as your coach. If you’re interested, read more about my coaching services here, or go ahead and book some time on my calendar to discuss further.
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