Wrapped: Lifelog Side Project Weekend 2024

Side Project Weekend is really all about maintaining a consistent streak for building Lifelog.

It all started last year when I shipped 30 new features for Lifelog, all done on early 4am weekend mornings.

But alas, this year was a little different.

I think I got overwhelmed with survival needs, and dropped out of Side Project Weekends for the earlier part of the year, after February. Only came back in September. All in all, only 8 new features this year:

• Feb - Dark mode for writing
• Mar - Telegram bot notifications when user publishes a post, in a new Telegram group called Daily Lifelogs
• Aug - Minor fixes
• Sep -
  • @mention notification feature on both markdown and rich text editors
  • @mention dropdown popup on markdown editors
• Oct -
  • @mention dropdown popup on rich text editor
  • New search page to search for past posts on Lifelog
  • Added an animated green icon to signal new features on Lifelog
  • Added loading indicator to all pages, and to notifications page too
  • Added an inline search feature for the markdown editor, for easier search
• Nov -
  • Added an inline search feature for the rich text editor
  • Minor fixes

I started the year at $128 MRR, went highest to $137 in Feb, but dropped down to $107 currently. This year saw 3 new paid subscribers, but 4 longtime paying customers churned.

Unlike last year, I can’t say I’m proud of my progress with Lifelog. If anything, it actually regressed, in terms of momentum, motivation and money.

No excuses.

What’s next for Lifelog in 2025?

I’m still passionate about this. I need this tool. Writing is such a daily part of my mental and creative hygiene now that I can’t imagine not coming here every day to write. I doubly can’t imagine not coming here and catching up with the crew.

The report card is lesser for it, but the why stays, just like how I said it last year:

Ultimately, I keep circling back to what this passion project had always been for me at its core:

A love for writing.
A love for coding software.
A love for creating, for making products.
A love for living a reflective, thoughtful life.
A love for the friends I’ve journeyed alongside here.

I’m in here for the long haul. Even if it doesn’t pay. Even if it doesn’t grow.

I hope to try better, next year.

And to @everyone here, thank you for all the support all this while, and for sticking around. I’m grateful.

Onwards to 2025!