2024 was a year of surprises and challenges. Moving to Dubai at the start of the year, and later to Abu Dhabi, brought a lot of excitement, but it also came with its fair share of struggles—particularly in my career. Despite my background in renewable energy and months of searching, I couldn’t find the kind of employment opportunities I was hoping for. Those months were tough, filled with frustration, self-doubt, and extreme anxiety.

But life has a way of steering you toward unexpected paths. When life doesn’t go as planned, you pivot. Freelancing wasn’t my dream—it was a necessity. What started as a way to sustain myself turned into an exciting new chapter. Over the past few months, I’ve landed clients, built a flexible routine, and rediscovered my independence. Freelancing comes with its uncertainties, but it also gives me freedom, and that’s something I deeply value.

Fewer Goals

In 2024, I lacked a plan. The result? A year spent trying too many things without focus. Even in 2023, I set so many goals that they became overwhelming and unmanageable. This year, I’m doing things differently.

2025 is all about fewer goals and laser focus. Instead of chasing everything, I’m committing to three key areas that truly matter to me: financial stability, health, and personal growth.

My Goals for 2025:

• Achieve $5,000 in recurring revenue by the end of the year.
• Reduce body fat to below 25% while building strength and endurance.
• Sharpen my writing and programming skills.

1. Achieving Financial Stability

Goal: Achieve $5,000 in recurring revenue by December 2025.

This will come from three sources: freelancing, newsletter growth, and launching a product.

Freelancing: Building My Niche

Freelancing has shown me the potential to create a sustainable income on my terms. This year, my focus is to grow my freelancing business to $3,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).

My Niche:

• Building ultra-high-performance static sites with Hugo.
• Crafting personal blogs designed for readers, not SEO.
• Writing engaging, data-driven, and interactive stories.

Action Steps:

1. Send 3 cold emails per week to prospective clients.
2. Publish 5 in-depth, data-driven interactive articles on my blog by the end of H1 2025 to build a portfolio.

Do you like my blog?
Do you have an idea for creating a unique personal blog in 2025?
I’m truly passionate about personal blogs, and as a freelance dev, I’m taking on 2 clients this quarter.
Let’s chat —discovery calls are free!

Newsletter: Turning Readers Into Subscribers

My newsletter, 10+1 Things , is my main distribution channel. In fact, most of my freelance projects in the last couple of months were through readers of my newsletter. My goal is to grow my free subscriber base by 1,000 new subscribers and gain 100 paying subscribers, reaching $1,000 MRR.

Action Steps:

1. Publish at least 50 editions this year (roughly one per week).
2. Collaborate on at least 2 cross-promotions per month with other creators.
3. Engage with 5-star readers from Substack to brainstorm paid content ideas and gather feedback.
4. Experiment with a paid tier launch in Q3, with a full launch in Q4.

Product Launch: Adding Another Revenue Stream

By the end of 2025, I want to launch a product that aligns with my skills while providing a passive income stream. My goal is to create an open-source, open-core project with a paid tier for subscribers.

Initial Ideas:

• An analytics tool for Substack writers.
• A simple calorie-tracking tool.

Action Steps:

1. Research product ideas in H1 with quick POCs and EOI forms.
2. Validate the idea by mid-year through pre-sales or surveys.
3. Begin development in Q3 and launch by Q4.

2. Health: Getting Leaner and Stronger

Goal: Reduce body fat to below 25% while building strength and endurance.

In 2024, I learned the importance of focusing on fewer things. This year, no marathons, no triathlons, no BRMs. My sole focus is getting leaner, fitter, and stronger.

Action Steps:

1. Log daily health metrics on my fitness page.
2. Strength train consistently, paired with evening walks.
3. Include regular runs and bike rides for cardio.
4. Limit alcohol consumption to once a month.
5. Stretch and focus on flexibility regularly.
6. Aim for consistent and quality sleep every night.

3. Mastering Writing and Programming

Goal: Write more, code better, and build a strong foundation of skills.

Writing: Finding My Voice

I know my writing needs improvement, and the only way to get better is to write more. This year, I’m focusing on volume and consistency.

Action Steps:

1. Publish 30 blog posts this year.
2. Write 2 threads per month on X (formerly Twitter).
3. Publish 3 posts per week on X using the POSSE (Publish Once, Syndicate Everywhere) approach.
4. Build a micro page on the blog to syndicate content seamlessly and make the blog the hub for all my writing and content.

Learning: To Code Better

To become a better coder, I need disciplined practice. This year, I’ll sharpen my skills through problem-solving and focused learning.

Action Steps:

1. Complete the Foundations and Intermediate HTML and CSS and JS modules in the The Odin Project - JS Path
2. Solve 36 problems on Project Euler (~3 problems per month).
3. Complete energy system modeling course by Q4 2025.

Final Thoughts

2025 is the year of doing less but achieving more. By narrowing my focus to a few key goals, I’m giving myself the clarity and energy to make meaningful progress. Some of these goals are ambitious—$5,000 MRR from home isn’t easy—but I’m committed to giving it my best. Whether I achieve it or not is another story, but I’m aiming high, and I’ll give it my best shot. If I fail, I’ll still be happy knowing I tried.

Here’s to a focused, purposeful 2025.
Happy New Year!