2025 Year in Review: Income Down 20%, What Did I Actually Do?
Hello everyone, I am xiaoz, a freelancer with nearly 4 years of experience, currently working in software development. This article is a simple summary of my 2025, covering work, learning, and investment. Although overall income dropped by 20% this year, it was fulfilling. For 2026, I don't seek breakthroughs, just stability.
About Work
New Projects:
In 2025, I added some non-commercial open source projects, mainly:
- Zurl (a simple and easy-to-use short link system): https://github.com/helloxz/zurl
- Hot RSS (aggregating online hot topics, AI refines summaries for you): https://hot.rss.ink/
Both projects are free with no revenue, purely for personal interest and practice.
Iteration Projects
Since quitting my job to become a freelancer in 2022, for survival reasons, I gradually tried to commercialize my accumulated open source projects. The products that have been commercialized include:
- ImgURL (image hosting service): https://www.imgurl.org/
- OneNav (bookmark management tool): https://www.onenav.top/
- Zdir (multi-functional file sharing program): https://www.zdir.pro/zh/
This year, most of my time was still spent on iterating these three projects, and I will continue to spend a lot of time and energy on them in the future. To be honest, the combined revenue of these three projects is not much, but some friends might ask, since existing software doesn't make much money, and I heard developing xx software makes money fast, why don't you develop xx software? The main reasons are as follows:
- There are many money-making software and industries. Others can make money, but I may not be able to. Just like you see successful restaurant owners, you also see closed-down restaurant owners.
- Limited personal energy: I want to do many things, but can do few. Currently, my energy is limited, and maintaining existing software is already not easy.
- Limited ability: I know my ability is limited, I cannot develop large software, but developing small and beautiful software is also fine. The most important thing about products is happiness.
- Interest first: Most of my software actually starts from my own needs and interests, without seriously thinking about how to create a purely money-making commercial software.
ImgURL Pro Refactor
After much anticipation, the ImgURL Pro refactor work has begun at the end of 2025. The refactored version Zpic has entered the internal testing phase and will be officially released to everyone at the end of January 2026. Here is a screenshot first.
Software Outsourcing
xiaoz rarely takes outsourcing projects, but this year I happened to encounter a suitable project, so I took it. I spent nearly 2 months writing outsourcing projects (after all, survival is the root). Some netizens joked with me, why hasn't the project been updated for so long, are you running away? To clarify: although slowly, we are still moving forward. There are no plans to run away.
Next Steps
- After the ImgURL Pro refactored version Zpic is released, I will refactor OneNav next. Please wait patiently, OneNav users.
- In 2026, I will still spend some time making attempts, just like Zurl and Hot RSS added in 2025, but more from personal needs and interests, doing some small to medium-sized software. If you have good suggestions and ideas, welcome to communicate with me.
About Income
Income Composition
Compared to 2024, there is no obvious change in income composition, mainly with an additional part of investment income. The following is part of the 2025 income composition:
- Personal Projects (32%): Mainly the total income generated by the three products ImgURL, OneNav, and Zdir
- Outsourcing (30%): Mainly outsourcing and some operations and maintenance work
- Commission Promotion (15%): Commissions obtained by promoting some software and other third-party products
- Ad Revenue (10%): Mainly Google Adsense and some soft article ads
- Investment (4%): Mainly US stocks, HK stocks, and a small amount of domestic index funds
Open Source and Cut Costs
Compared to 2024, overall revenue in 2025 dropped by about 20%. Maybe it has something to do with the external environment, but it could also be caused by personal factors. Instead of dwelling on the reasons, let's take action. To cope with the income decline, I had to open sources and cut costs.
- Stop Renting Office: In August 2023, I rented an office together with a friend. To save expenses, I stopped renting in August 2025 when it expired, saving about 6k in rent per year. Now I work from home and have adapted to this state.
- Stop Using Idle Servers: Besides mortgage, my biggest annual expense is server costs. Most servers are in an idle state. Many idle servers have given up renewal, saving 5k+ per year. Next year I will continue to merge servers to further reduce server expenses.
Currently, I am mainly cutting costs from office rent and server fees. Other places are not temporarily contracting costs. Blindly opening sources and cutting costs is not the fundamental solution. Later, I need to rethink how to maintain business growth is key.
Learning Improvement
If I have to say the biggest gain this year, it would be swimming and reading.
Swimming
Don't laugh at me, xiaoz has always been a landlubber. Until 2025, I signed up for a swimming private lesson and renewed a gym annual card, finally learned swimming. Currently still in the novice stage, cannot swim too far, but it is good for health.
Reading
Reading is relatively casual, basically reading whatever I want to read. Most booklists come from online recommendations and book recommendations. For example, when reading Book A, Book B might be recommended. The following is the booklist completed in 2025:
- Thinking About Xiaomi's Entrepreneurship
- Inside the System
- Feng Tang's Success Mindset
- Simple Logic
- A Dog Called Money 1 & 2
- Tao Te Ching
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
- The Psychology of Money
- Willpower
- The Way Out
- Cognitive Awakening
- Xiao Qiang's Promotion Story
- Eat That Frog!
- The Pomodoro Technique Illustrated
- Novel: No Longer the Same
There are also 2 books not finished, namely The Complete Guide to Communication. I think it is too wordy. The other is This is Psychology. Read more than half and found it still teaching me science. I read slowly, only 25 minutes a day (one Pomodoro). Reading 25 minutes a day is a relatively easy thing, so it is easier to persist (people don't like doing difficult things). If you are interested, you can try this method. Even 10 minutes a day is fine. Must be less, not more (more is hard, hard is easy to give up). Less is more. No purpose, just keep reading.
If I have to say the obvious gain from reading, I can't say it, but I can feel a subtle power and feeling. This power and feeling seem to be continuously affecting my thoughts and observation. As described in Tao Te Ching: The Great Way cannot be named (Haha, joking, where did I understand such a great way).
Next Steps
- Continue fitness
- Keep reading
- Get a fund practitioner qualification certificate to play
Investment and Finance
Why Invest?
From the income composition above, investment income accounted for 4% in 2025. Although not much, it has improved a lot compared to negative investment income in 2024. I don't think the investment income in 2025 relies on strength, most of it is luck. Investment has risks. We should always maintain awe and vigilance towards the market, otherwise it is easy to fall.
The reason for choosing investment is actually influenced by some concepts, such as the books mentioned above:
- A Dog Called Money 1
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
- The Psychology of Money
I personally recommend reading A Dog Called Money 1, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Index Fund Investment Guide. For me, they have helped me better reshape my "money view". Hope they can bring you some gains too.
My Investment Strategy (Do Not Adopt)
- Mainly US stocks, supplemented by HK stocks, small amount of domestic index funds
- Companies with market cap below 100 billion HKD are rarely considered
- Industry diversification: Spread funds to technology, healthcare, consumption, energy, gold, etc. to reduce risk
- Most choose companies and funds with quarterly dividends and stability
- Buy and sell in batches
- Avoid Chinese concept stocks
- Continuously buy assets to reduce liabilities
- Do more things that take effect slowly but have lasting returns
Investment Risk
- Any investment has risks. If you do not master basic principles and establish a correct money view, investment is highly not recommended.
- Do not blindly copy and adopt others' investment strategies. After all, everyone's circle, cognition, and financial situation are different. It is recommended to practice and explore your own strategy based on your own situation.
- Watch less financial media bloggers fooling around. Establish your own critical thinking and money view. If watching media bloggers fooling around can make money, then everyone would make money.
Conclusion
Above is xiaoz's simple summary about work, learning, and investment in 2025. In 2026, I will continue to do some small and beautiful things. Wish neither of us gets left behind by the times.
Written at home on January 12, 2026.