Against the Wind: A Summary and Reflection of an Independent Developer in the First Half of 2024
Hello everyone, I am xiaoz, and I have been working as a freelancer for over two years. As we step into the second half of 2024, it is time to briefly summarize and review the first half of the year. Recently, whether hearing about layoffs and salary cuts around me, or personally experiencing rising prices and increasing competition, making stability and income growth more difficult. These objective physical factors have made me deeply feel that every step in 2024 is full of challenges and difficulties. In the following article, I will share my status regarding work, learning, and life in the first half of this year, including:
- Personal Projects
- Work Status and Problems Encountered
- Learning and Reading
See the 2023 summary here: The Second Year of Freelancing, Sharing Personal Project Experiences in 2023
Personal Projects
AsBot Intelligent Assistant (To Be Discontinued)
Last year, with the popularity of ChatGPT, I spent a lot of effort developing AsBot Intelligent Assistant to allow ordinary users to enjoy the convenience brought by ChatGPT. However, as the AI hype has cooled down and competition from competitors has intensified, it has become difficult to gain a share of the market. I currently have no plans to continue developing or maintaining it, and this product will be taken offline within the next six months.
Zdir File Sharing Program
This project started in 2018 and is a multi-functional private storage program integrating file indexing, online preview, and sharing. In May this year, Mr. W and I planned to develop the Zdir 4 version, and we were able to launch it in mid-June. We plan to launch the overseas market in early August. If there is one project worth looking forward to this year, it might be my Zdir 4.
Zdir Official Website: https://www.zdir.pro/zh/
OneNav Bookmark Management Program
Developed in 2020 as a browser bookmark management program, initially only for personal use. After I resigned in February 2022, I started commercializing OneNav. Although only a few licenses are sold each month, I still believe OneNav is a valuable project. In the coming days, OneNav will continue to iterate.
OneNav Official Website: https://www.onenav.top/
ImgURL Image Hosting
A project developed in the cold winter of December 2017, which can quickly convert images into links for sharing. The project has remained lukewarm, and almost no one buys licenses now, but the program continues to iterate. The online version will continue to operate, but I may not spend too much time and energy on this project in the future.
ImgURL Official Website: https://www.imgurl.org/
Work Status
After renting an office with a friend last year, I now work in a fixed office, which is much better than working from home. Combined with some self-regulation, my schedule has become relatively regular, and my state has improved, but it needs to be maintained. Freelancers may face problems similar to mine:
Out of Work Mode
If this happens, try changing the environment, such as going to a friend's office, library, coffee shop, or study room, and slowly try to find your state again.
Irregular Schedule
Try to plan what you need to do the next day or later in advance. If you are playing on your phone while lying in bed, create some difficulties for yourself, such as putting the phone in the living room or locking it up. However, the schedule needs to be adjusted slowly, don't do it too abruptly.
Anxiety
Whenever I can't make money, I feel anxious. At this time, try to distract yourself, such as reading books or doing sports you like, and then rethink. I started liking cycling this year and found a new hobby, which not only relieves stress but is also beneficial to physical and mental health.
Idea Bottleneck
If you encounter a bottleneck when developing a product or cannot figure out certain things and don't know how to break through next, then go chat with your friends or meet freelance developers offline. You might discover some new ideas and thoughts.
Insufficient Energy
Human energy is limited. Try to avoid things that consume your energy, such as online arguments and others' evaluations of you. At the same time, you need to optimize projects and work methods, prioritize, and formulate short-term and long-term plans to proceed step by step. However, I have not fully achieved this point and am still exploring and trying.
Learning and Reading
Although there was no significant improvement in technical skills this year, nor did I master new development skills, I am happy to have maintained the habit of reading. I spend 30 minutes every day reading. This habit is my self-practice combining the "Pomodoro Technique" and "Atomic Habits" methods, with good results. We may all be afraid of doing troublesome and complex things, but doing something for 30 minutes or less every day becomes much easier. Unknowingly, I have read the following books in the first half of the year.
"The Miracles of the Namiya General Store"
Reading Higashino Keigo's suspense novel for the second time; I previously read "The Dreaming Flower". However, "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store" has a more clever and attractive plot, and it didn't explain why time travel occurred until the end. Maybe it doesn't matter anymore; it left me wanting more.
"Counselling with the Toad"
A relatively easy-to-understand psychology book. The book traces the impact of childhood trauma on our current lives. Under the guidance of the Heron, Mr. Toad gradually recognizes himself and finds his true self.
"Elon Musk Biography"
I read this book simply because I am interested in Elon Musk. He is a controversial and somewhat obsessive figure. I have to admire his vision, perspective, and contribution to society. I tried to study how to become wealthy from Musk, but it seems I didn't figure it out (just kidding).
"Live Your Life Clearly"
A book gifted by a friend. The book tells many philosophies of life, many of which require further practice and exploration on my part.
"The Murphy Law"
A relatively easy-to-understand psychology book. The book explains some common psychological phenomena. We can utilize and master these laws to create value for ourselves and go with the flow.
"Who Moved My Cheese?"
Tells a principle that everyone seems to understand but doesn't fully understand in the form of a fable: cope with change with change, prepare for a rainy day, and be aware of danger in times of peace.
"1587, a Year of No Significance"
A bestseller I saw on Douban, but I didn't quite understand it; perhaps my level is not high enough.
Books are divided into good and bad books, but there is no specific standard for judgment. In short, just read what you like. If a book can trigger your thinking, I think it is a meaningful and valuable good book. But we cannot just read books without thinking and practicing. The content in the books comes from the observations, experiences, and actions of our predecessors. Everyone's situation and circumstances are different, and the principles in the books are not standard. We also need more practice and thinking to find a path that suits us from reading and acting.
Brief reading will not bring obvious benefits to me, but reading can keep the heart calm and not impetuous, triggering more self-reflection. It is a long-term worthwhile thing. I will continue to read without purpose or plan, reading whatever I want, whether it is novels, psychology, or miscellaneous essays.
Conclusion
In the first half of 2024, it is obvious that it is more difficult than the same period in 2023. It is difficult because of insufficient personal strength, difficult because of the poor objective environment (rising prices, complex economic environment), and difficult because of future uncertainty. Although the first half of 2024 was against the wind, I believe that as long as we find and discover laws, we can continue to move forward. Any rise and fall can find and discover new opportunities, and we are working hard to find and discover such opportunities, but the premise is that our personal strength is sufficient.
If you are interested in freelancing, you can also add xiaoz's WeChat
xiaozme, and I will invite you to join the group to learn and exchange together.
——Summer 2024.07. Written in the office