As 2025 comes to an end, I realize I have written less in this newsletter than I would have liked. Maybe my sometimes extreme perfectionism has held me back. Partly because I felt I had nothing worth sharing, and partly because what I wrote did not feel good enough.

I think this is a feeling we all experience at times, whether when writing or when trying to express ourselves in general. But the point of this newsletter is not to deliver something polished. It is more a way to talk about what happens to me, how I feel about it, and how I interpret it, while I try to make a living from this whole entrepreneurship thing.

So I guess I should think less and do more. I have applied that advice to other areas of my life, but not here. And 2026 feels like a good moment to start.

When I stopped overthinking and started doing more was the moment someone finally paid for something I made

Picmal - my first native Mac app

When I say I have not been writing here, I really mean it. I did not even write to say that I launched an app. Picmal is my first 100% native Mac app, and by not overthinking things and simply shipping something that was useful to me, I ended up discovering that it is useful to others too.

I am close to reaching 200 paying users. From the outside, especially when you see so many companies making millions every year, that number might seem tiny. For me, it feels huge. It is proof to myself that I can build things that are genuinely useful to other people.

So yes, the same idea again: think less and do more. By pure algorithmic coincidence, this YouTube channel found me. Elisha talks a lot about how his life started to improve once he stopped overthinking and began acting more, referring to it with the term _retardmaxx_.

I guess he is right. And since my newsletter is called nonsense, maybe I should start honoring that name a bit more.

End of year rituals

My visual board for 2026

Last year, when I wrote my year review, I mentioned something I have been doing since 2021. I take the photos I shot during the year and go through them month by month, writing down what I was doing and small anecdotes from those moments. It is my way of keeping those experiences alive.

Last year I changed that dynamic a bit. Instead, I started answering a set of forty questions. I liked the idea because everything becomes much more concrete, while the goal stays the same: to preserve those small moments you lived during the year so that when you come back to them later, once they are no longer fresh, they are still there waiting for you. Almost like a freezer for memories.

I added one more thing to this ritual last year, borrowed from my friend Marynes. At the end of the year, she always creates a vision board with things she wants to do in the following year. If you are a visual person, having this present throughout the year helps a lot. With a single glance, it reminds you of what you want for the year, and of the ambitions or aspirations you have for the future.

It felt like a much healthier way to approach next year’s goals. Not as another checklist or yet another work project to deal with, but rather as a gentle reminder of what we want to prioritize, both in the coming year and beyond.

5 things I liked about the offline world in 2025

1. Onomichi. I went there for my birthday and loved it. A beautiful town full of cafés with gorgeous views, where you can feel a deep sense of peace. It is wonderful to sit and watch people pass by, take the ferry across the water, wait for the train to cross so you can take photos, and wander up the hills getting lost among its temples. If you ever have the chance, go.
2. Lake Villa Kawaguchiko. This was a great surprise. Being at the foot of Mt. Fuji is breathtaking. I only stayed one day, but it was enough to fall for it. I woke up at 4am to see the lake with the mountain in front of me. Highly recommend staying here if you visit the area.
3. PECKiSH bakery. Six months in Asia make you miss a few things: good bread, good ham, maybe cheese. But to my surprise, if you keep looking you can find great stuff. This bakery in Taipei has one of the best croissants I have ever had in my life. Pinky promise.
4. Dongyanshan National Forest. It does not matter if it is raining (like when I went) or clear, this national park is worth a visit. It is beautiful, full of trails, and perfect for spending a day getting lost. Full of flowers and trees, and close enough for a day trip from Taipei.
5. Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. The Kinabalu Park area is great for hiking. That part of Borneo is fantastic for spending a few days on the trails. This lodge was a perfect base. The cabins are well equipped and really beautiful.

5 things I liked about the online world in 2025

1. Alex West’s books. If you have ever wanted to make a living from your own projects, you will find yourself in these books. And the best part: they are free. Alex shares how he found, launched, and grew Cyberleads to $1M a year. He does not sell dreams. He does not give advice. He just tells his story as raw as he can. Sometimes you will think: this guy is a genius. Other times: this guy is an idiot.
2. Photos by Alex Kittoe and Samantha Cavet. Probably my two favorite photographers this year. I almost made it to an exhibition Alex had in Seoul but could not go in the end. His photos make me want to live in the US every single day. Samantha made me more drawn to photographing flowers and to stopping to really look at them. Her collection A Quiet Life is beautiful.
3. Vizi’s newsletter. Vizi always inspires me to do things with more care, to take life a little less seriously, and to step away from the numbers. We live like slaves tied to work, leaving our souls behind along the way. Reading him helps you reconnect with that part of yourself.
4. SEO course by Danny Postma. For $89, this course is incredibly useful if you want to live from your projects. SEO is not dead, and it is necessary for many projects to work long term. Danny explains techniques in a simple, practical way that you can apply from day one.
5. Fast Software, the Best Software by Craig Mod. With the enshittification happening in software thanks to AI (which I love, by the way, but let’s not overdo it), fast software is becoming rare, even though our hardware is 20 times more powerful than a decade ago. When I read this article I realized that one of the main reasons I choose one app over another is how quickly it lets me access data or complete the task I opened it for. A great reflection by Craig, and I believe we as users need to demand this. It is one of the reasons I want my own apps to follow these principles.

What about 2026?

Beyond Picmal, I have a few apps planned for next year. Some of the problems I want to solve:

• A journaling app that respects your privacy and keeps your thoughts truly yours.
• A way to stay in touch with your professional network without feeling like a salesperson.
• Using your voice everywhere instead of typing, for those moments when your hands are busy or your brain moves faster than your fingers.

All of them will share one thing: AI as a quiet assistant, not as the main character. I believe AI works best when it supports your thinking, not when it replaces it. A subtle layer that helps you move faster, not one that takes over your ideas or decisions.

I will share what I learn along the way here. The wins and the failures.

There are also some questions I have been sitting with, and that I want to explore more deeply:

• Are we living through something similar to 18th century Romanticism?
• How should we approach creative projects without burning out?
• How do we keep our health in order to live a happy life?
• How do you market your project without going crazy and spending 24 hours in front of a screen?

I do not have answers yet. But I think writing is a good way to find them.

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So, bye 2025. A year where I learned, again, that the best way to move forward is to stop waiting for things to feel ready. The only way of learning is by friction.

I would love to hear from you. What are your end of year rituals? Any offline places or online corners you discovered this year that I should know about? And what are you planning for 2026?

Just hit reply. I read everything.

See you in 2026. With more nonsense.