It’s that time of the year again. Keeping the tradition alive, let’s take a moment to reflect on the past year. Grab your favorite drink and let’s get into it…
Highlights
- Made $7,722 in revenue from Product Disrupt
- Launched Tab With a View on Chrome + Edge and crossed 10K+ users
- Shipped 3 side projects and 1 Notion template
- Returned to freelancing and started looking for my next role
- Built a new design portfolio in Figma Sites
- Hosted 1 social mixer & 3 coworking events
- Attended Config London & Hatch Berlin
- Wrapped up a year of creative break
- Made my bowling debut in the Berlin regional cricket league and became the second-highest wicket-taker for our team
- Competed in an internal tennis tournament
- Injured my knee, will require ACL reconstruction surgery
- Competed in Latte Masters at Coffee Week Berlin
- Built a new habit of recording my thoughts while walking and using Notion AI to process them
- Traveled to 26 places in Asia & Europe
Work
Product Disrupt
This turned out to be the second-best year for Product Disrupt in terms of revenue. Almost all of it came from sponsorships and brand partnerships.
With the surge in AI tooling, I had the opportunity to create educational, branded content with products like Lovable, Notion, Phase, Tavus, and a few others. These collaborations were especially fun because they let me scratch my maker itch while sharing genuinely useful workflows with designers and builders.
I continued running the newsletter on Kit, which meant the tooling costs remained at zero. Their creator recommendations also brought in a steady stream of new subscribers – a nice bonus I didn’t have to think too hard about.
2025 – Product Disrupt
- Revenue: $7,722 (up $5,101)
- Expense: $0 (same)
- Total Subscribers: 5,121 (up 334)
- Site Views: 11.8K (down 8.4K)
Shameless plug: Want to receive new free resources to stay up-to-date with product design and build your own products? Then subscribe here to get them straight in your inbox every two weeks.
One very obvious win (that I somehow managed to ignore for way too long) – I finally wrote a welcome email for new subscribers.
Engagement went up almost immediately. Shocking, I know.
With a View
We made solid progress on our travel discovery project earlier this year. We shipped a new version of the browser extension with focus mode, crossed 10K+ users, and hit #3 on Peerlist and #6 on Product Hunt.
The team also grew from 3 to 4, bringing in much-needed full-stack firepower.
That said, not everything went to plan. While the extension kept moving forward, the web app… didn’t. Between limited availability and competing commitments, we kept running into roadblocks and falling behind our own timelines.
Side Projects
The creative break gave me a blank canvas, and I filled it by chasing curiosity and tinkering with AI-powered side projects.
Most experiments went nowhere, but a few paved the path for projects I eventually published into the wild.
Along the way, I also published my first Notion template – the 1-on-1 System. It’s a simple framework to run more productive syncs with peers, managers, or direct reports. You can grab it for free here.
Back to the Craft
Later in the year, I eased back into freelancing – partly to rebuild cash flow, but mostly to get closer to the craft again. I partnered with Berlin-based startup Quid AI to design their brand identity and website.
This became my first real project in Figma Sites. It’s still rough around the edges, but I loved the experience of designing and shipping without friction inside a single tool. The cherry on top – Quid AI got featured on One Page Love.
From October onwards, I started actively interviewing for my next role. This time around, I have the luxury of being selective. I’m prioritizing remote or hybrid individual-contributor roles.
I genuinely enjoyed growing a team and building systems in my last role. But right now, I’m having more fun designing, building, and shipping again. The market has also tilted toward strong ICs, and I’m happy to lean into that shift.
To support the search, I put together a new portfolio site to open doors and a private, deep-dive case study deck for later interview rounds.
The interview process itself has been a mixed bag. But one thing is clear – this is an employer’s market. Fewer roles, more competition, and higher bars across the board.
Events
I spent my limited extrovert energy wisely this year – by hosting a few events and showing up to the ones that really mattered.
As a Kindred Ambassador, I hosted three coworking sessions at my favorite café in Berlin. Small, cozy, and just the right amount of social.
The highlight, though, was the second edition of Social Mixer during Config London – hosted in a park, slightly chaotic, and very last-minute. A flight delay forced a few scheduling changes, so I went in with zero expectations. Somehow, it turned into a lively evening with great conversations and a few new friendships.
I had plans for a third edition in Berlin during Hatch, but the weather gods had other ideas. A full-on storm that evening meant we had to call it off.
On the attending side, I made it to a bunch of solid events this year. Config London and Hatch Berlin were definite highlights.
Life
Creative Break
In Sep, I wrapped up a full year of creative break. It’s been the single best thing I’ve done for my creativity and well-being.
I’ve written a longer reflection on the experience here.
Health
Health stayed front and center this year – powered by daily 10K+ steps and a lot of cricket and tennis.
I made my bowling debut in the Berlin regional cricket league and had a proper dream start – clean-bowled their best batter on my second ball. We lost in the semis, and I finished as the team’s second-highest wicket-taker.
We also played the second KLTG v B-Kube tennis tournament. Lost 3–0, but every match was a close fight and a lot of fun.
The year, however, is ending on a less ideal note. A flu knocked me out for a couple of days earlier this month, and last week I injured my knee during indoor cricket training.
The MRI confirmed an ACL rupture. Surgery is coming up, I’m in pre-hab now, and taking it one day at a time. Next year will be about rehab and patience. I already miss the simple joy of walking and playing more than I anticipated 😦
Coffee Obsession
In Sep, I competed in Latte Masters at Coffee Week Berlin. I didn’t make it past the first round – most competitors were trained baristas, but stepping behind the counter gave me a new respect for how demanding the craft really is.
Walking Guide
In Dec, I started experimenting with a new habit – recording my thoughts while walking, then using Notion AI to summarize the transcriptions.
It feels like the beginning of a system I’ve wanted for a long time. Walking helps me think, and the summaries help me turn scattered thoughts into clear next steps – no more staring at a blank page.
I’ll share a deeper breakdown of this system once it’s had more time to breathe.
Travel
A sabbatical is also a luxury to travel without the usual rush. We finally did the long Japan trip we’d been talking about for years – a month in the country, slow and unhurried. No checklist, just wandering, coffee, and people-watching. It was restorative in a way that short breaks rarely are.
I also took several shorter trips, and along the way put together a nomad guide for Chiang Mai and a local guide to Berlin.
- Weekend getaway to a small town near Bamberg, Germany
- Annual family visit to India (Mumbai, Vapi, Kutch, Lasalgaon)
- Solo nomading in Chiang Mai & Pai in Thailand
- A month in Japan (Tokyo, Fujikawaguchiko, Hakone, Nagoya, Takayama + Shirakawago, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka)
- A couple of With a View offsites in Poland (Poznan, Tuczno, Zagorze)
- London for Figma Config, plus a day trip to Oxford
- A weekend marina getaway in Rheinsberg, Brandenburg
- Birthday and remote work in Greece (Athens, Saronida, Aegina Island)
- Short layover in Budapest, Hungary
Wrapping Up
2025
This was the year I let curiosity lead and built things simply because they made me happy. Most mornings, I woke up excited to tinker and experiment. Creative Wandering became the theme of 2025.
2026
Major lifestyle changes are on the horizon for 2026 – some forced by injury, others chosen. I’m stepping into the new year with a calm mind and quiet enthusiasm.
Congrats! You made it till the end. Thanks for giving me your attention. I wish you a beautiful start to the new year ✦
In case you’re interested in reading my past year reviews, you can find them here – 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.
Feel free to drop a link to your year-in-review in the comments below. I love reading them.
Darshan Gajara 