It's time to make old mistakes in different ways

Just kidding - let's talk 2023 😂

It is time to reflect on 2023

To do that, let's first see some goals I wrote down toward the end of 2022:

2023 Stats

I've published a total of 47 long-format videos (14 less than in 2022) and 25 YouTube Shorts (17 more than 2022). The channel has grown by over 100,000 subscribers since the beginning of the year, reaching over 30,000,000+ views. The most viewed video was THE ULTIMATE iPhone Home Screen Guide & Setup, with close to 800K views, and for the first time, one of my long-form videos crossed the 1M views mark - NEW TO MAC? Mac Tutorial for Beginners Part I. The most liked video (99.1% likes) was NEW TO MAC? Mac Tutorial for Beginners Part II.

My Favorite Thumbnail

As always, my favorite thumbnail is not the one I worked 4 hours on. It is the one I edited in 15 minutes to run as an A/B split test 😂

My Personal Favorite Video

This video is special for many reasons. First, it is a day-in-the-life episode - something I find difficult to produce. Second, the subject was a device outside my comfort zone while I was far away from home. Third, it was a special episode which marked a milestone for me.

Biggest 2023 Failures

Not hitting a pre-set goal is not something I would consider a failure, so having missed the 300K subscriber mark while reaching over 230K is an absolute success.

The biggest failure I can admit to at this point is staying too close to the lifeline in terms of content ideas. You see, back in 2022, I pulled one rabbit after another out of my hat because I had a much smaller audience, and I couldn’t care less about what other people thought. In 2023, I struggled to take risks and clinched to proven concepts from the year before. All because I was feeling down and didn’t want to disappoint. However, I definitely put myself out of my comfort zone multiple times. A few examples are the ‘Day In the Life’ videos, which I find very successful yet super hard to produce to my desired standards, and of course, all the non-Apple content, like the Microsoft Surface Pro video and everything Samsung-related.

Yet, I do realize I could have been even braver - I am ready to work on that 😉 And that’s what I consider my biggest win: having the ability to rely on my built-in self-diagnostic tools 💪🏻

2023 Realizations & Affirmations

🛋️ Taking occasional breaks is a must! I need to improve this. I stopped going out with friends and found no time to have fun, which is totally my fault. The more I bury myself in work, the more I find excuses not to “waste time“ by being spontaneous. For example, spending 20 minutes on a console game brings a huge dose of guilt. Rejecting friends' invites also makes me feel guilty, but I somehow manage to convince myself that it’s for the greater good. Well, the greater good cannot exist if I am not good and what’s worse, this affects everyone around me. So, this needs to change right away.

✈️ Some things sort themselves out when the time is right. Very few people know this, but I’ve been struggling with Aerophobia (which is an extreme fear of flying) since 2008. I can probably write an entire newsletter just about that topic, but long story short - having stayed away from airports since 2012, I flew for the first time this year. And guess what? It worked. It was actually fun! I am trying to say that maybe we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves, trying to overcome obstacles at all costs. Maybe that will happen on its own when the time is right.

2023 Goals

◻️ Create 80 long-form videos that I am proud of
◻️ Fearlessly experiment with new concepts and ideas
◻️ Surpass 500K subscribers
◻️ Fly to my first U.S. tech event
◻️ Enjoy life & be happy
✔️ Move to a new, bigger studio

Don’t forget to…

✍🏻 Write down your personal and work-related goals.
🙏🏻 Be grateful!
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Enjoy the time with your loved ones.
💪🏻 Exercise

Let’s celebrate!

Use coupon code GOODBYE23 to purchase any one digital item from my store for 30% OFF. ⚠️ Numbers are limited