500 weeks later

Reflections on a decade-long project and looking ahead to 2025

Last weekend, I sent the 500th issue of Sync. For 500 weeks—almost ten years—I have been preparing and sending a new issue of the newsletter without missing a week. The 500th issue also coincided with the first issue of 2025—a perfect opportunity to reflect on this journey and look ahead.

Reflecting on a decade-long project

When I look back to that one afternoon in May 2015, in the basement cafe of the Google Campus in London, and reflect on this decade-long journey, I could never have imagined the journey that lay ahead.

When I sent out the first issue of the newsletter, I did not expect to still be writing it nearly ten years later. Ten years is a long time, and much has changed during that period. I have changed jobs a couple of times, moved house twice, and started and finished (or abandoned) many other projects. Yet, throughout all this time, this newsletter has been one of the few constants in my life.

I am proud that I have kept going, that I did not give up, and that I still have the passion to write and send another newsletter. Not everyone can say they have run a thriving side project for a decade and are still going.

I am grateful to everyone who has ever read my work. I am grateful to everyone who subscribed to the newsletter, left a like or a comment, or reached out. I am grateful to everyone I have met along the way and who, in one way or another, has influenced who I am today.

A special shoutout goes to three people—Andrew Cantino, Luke Robert Mason, and Michael Spencer—who have significantly impacted this newsletter and me.

Andrew gave me some time when I questioned whether I wanted to continue writing this newsletter. The conversation we had provided me with a new perspective on what is possible and gave me the motivation and inspiration to keep going. Andrew also co-writes a newsletter—The Orbital Index—which is celebrating its 300th issue this week. Congratulations!

Luke recommended moving the newsletter to Substack. It was one of those butterfly-effect conversations that seemed rather small at the time but had massive consequences. Without his suggestion, I might not have joined Substack’s community of writers and could have missed many opportunities to grow. And without joining Substack, I might never have met Michael.

Micheal is the pillar of the tech and AI community on Substack, offering an opportunity for smaller writers to be noticed by tens of thousands of readers. Michael generously gave me his trust and space to publish my work, exposing it to thousands of new readers. Chances are that you are here, reading these words, because you came from one of Michael’s publications. I am also grateful for his words of advice and the impact he has had on my work.

There were also many more conversations and many more people who shaped Humanity Redefined and me. To everyone with whom I had the chance to discuss writing, the future, or simply nerd out about technology—thank you for your time and for shaping, in one way or another, who I am today.

Looking back at 2024

The newsletter has grown both in terms of readership and the number of subscribers in 2024. The numbers are higher than they were at this time last year, though not quite where I had hoped they would be.

Even though I have not missed a week for almost ten years, I have, in recent months, been missing the Friday deadline for sending out the new issue of Sync.

I did an analysis, and below is a chart illustrating the weeks when I published Sync on Friday (green squares) and the weeks when I missed the deadline (red squares).

94.58% of all issues of Sync have been published on time. However, over the last 18 weeks, I have consistently missed the Friday deadline.

Another area where I have been inconsistent is publishing standalone articles every week. The last article I published was in July 2024—that’s six months ago. This does not mean I am abandoning standalone articles—I have 70 unfinished drafts and another 70 or more ideas waiting to be written. The passion is still there, but it has not been translating into published articles.

There is clearly an issue with my writing processes. They are not working, and it is up to me to identify what does and does not work, and to create new processes to ensure I consistently deliver what I promised—a new issue of Sync every Friday and 1–2 standalone articles each week.

Looking ahead

With all that said, here is what I promise for 2025:

1. Create new writing processes to ensure I deliver a new issue of Sync every week on Friday

2. Create new writing processes to ensure I deliver 1 or 2 standalone articles every week

3. Grow the newsletter to 10,000 subscribers

4. Improving my craft as a writer and researcher

I will also try something new by creating a theme for 2025 to guide the tone and messages I want to convey throughout the year.

The theme for 2025 is the optimistic future.

This theme ties back to the mission of Humanity Redefined:

By “optimistic future,” I don’t mean naively believing everything will turn out fine. For me, seeing an optimistic future or being an optimistic futurist means acknowledging the state of reality as it is, not as we wish it to be, and then showing or imagining how a positive future can be achieved. It also involves acknowledging not-so-optimistic possibilities and highlighting ideas to minimise their chances of occurring.

This year, through my work, my goal is to inspire action. Optimism is not passive; it’s an active pursuit of better possibilities. I aim to highlight the breakthroughs, ideas, and individuals working to turn potential into progress—and to remind us all that we have the agency to shape the world we want to see.

This nearly decade-long project has been a wild ride, filled with highs and lows. As I celebrate this milestone, I am both happy and proud to still be here, sharing stories of progress, possibility, and the power of human ingenuity. Here’s to the next year—and the next 500 issues!

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