Do you think anyone, anywhere, is actually happy with how they take notes? I doubt it.

The moment you start thinking about your system, you stop being content with it.

What’s the right approach?

A carbon-based notebook that gives you all the fuzzy, tactile feelings? A digital setup that lets you search everything in seconds? Which notebook? Which app?

Every few months, I come up with a new “best system.” The result: my notes are scattered everywhere.

I’m torn. I love the idea of a romantic, analog notebook. But I also want everything searchable, connected, and in one place. Luhmann built a system that was both tactile and interconnected. But at what cost?

I tried a Zettelkasten in Obsidian, based on Bob Doto’s A System for Writing. It felt slow and convoluted. Tried index cards like Luhmann. Felt like I was losing my mind.

Maybe I’ll never find the perfect system. Maybe I need to accept: my method is just lots of notes, in lots of places.

There’s some beauty in that chaos, I guess.

I had my second vegetarian slip-up in five years this weekend. A friend threw a party and prepared quite a few delicious snacks, complete with small signs beside them, listing the ingredients in detail.

I somehow missed the part where one of the quiches contained bacon. My bad. Unfortunately, I’m now able to report that I still love the taste of meat, even after not eating any for five years. I doubt that’ll change any time soon.

I'm not happy about this breaking my streak, but I decided not to dwell on it for too long. It was an honest mistake that doesn't take away from my overall vegetarian lifestyle.

Many people struggle to keep up with their read-later lists. I’ve perfected mine and—at least in that regard—I have no problems anymore.

Today, I want to share my complete read-later workflow and tools with you. It has proven itself time and again as a scalable solution that avoids the problem of an ever-growing backlog of things to read.

Here it goes: I put links to articles I want to read into my to-do list and then I read them.

That's it. That's the whole system.

In the last few weeks, I spent quite a bit of money on art supplies. My hobbies are cyclical. The interest fades, but it always returns. This time feels different. Sketching and painting have a cathartic effect on me. It feels necessary, not just fun.

Normally, perfectionism makes me quit quickly. Frustration comes fast when your artwork looks nothing like what you expected. I have been working on that, but lately, I find myself loving the imperfection itself.

Maybe that shift is connected to AI.

Sure, it is neat to generate a Studio Ghibli version of an image. But as someone who knows he could create something unique by hand, it feels hollow.

Every line of ink on paper carries more tactile character, more direct connection to the body and emotions, than anything made on a screen. That was always true. AI just made it more obvious.

I want to harvest that truth for my otherwise very digital life. I feel like it will be essential for my wellbeing going forward.

Something about a sketchbook as a daily companion for life has always fascinated me. Sitting somewhere and sketching what’s around you feels like the purest form of mindfulness.

Pages and pages full of visualized memories. What could be cooler than that?

Here’s a small sketch I did yesterday while sitting on a bench at the Alster, talking to an older woman about her allergies.

2024 will always be the year I started running. My first run was on January 14th, and since then, I’ve stuck to it. One run every other day, all year long. I never would have guessed it, but running turned out to be one of the highlights of my year, profoundly improving my life in ways I didn’t expect.

I ran 889,5 kilometers, which took me 106 hours and 49 minutes. My average pace was 7'12"/km. My current average pace for December 2024 is 6'23".

Somehow, I managed to build and release a new app this year. It’s called Unhinged, and while my opinion is obviously biased, I genuinely believe it’s the best mood-tracking app out there.

Unhinged checks in with you three times a day, asking how you’re feeling and what you’re doing. Over time, it gives you valuable insights into the factors that shape your mood.

I’ve been using Unhinged since March, and it’s fascinating to see how my mood shifted dramatically after finding a new apartment in Hamburg at the end of May. It’s also clear that the second half of the year has been one of the best ever.

There are plenty more insights hidden in the data. For example, my mood is almost always 'Very Good' in the morning block if I’ve gone for a run. I also added a feature to tag people in entries, which has helped me track how different people’s company influences my mood.

Now is the perfect time to start mood tracking. 2025 hasn’t started yet, and you could have a full year of data by the time I release the '2025 Mood in Review' feature. (No promises, though. It’s just something I’m hoping to work on.)

You can download UNHINGED for free on the App Store.

A year ago, I made the mistake of confusing hating Berlin with not wanting to live in a big city anymore, and I moved to a small town. It didn't go well.

At the same time, I declared 2024 to be the Year of Friendship. Those two things combined resulted in one of the worst times of my life. I had never felt more alone than in the first six months of this year.

Fortunately, after accepting that I made an oopsie and needed to rectify the situation, I went ahead and found a new apartment in the city where I spent my most formative years. It felt like coming home.

Which brings us back to my yearly theme: Was 2024 the Year of Friendship?

Absolutely.

The second half of the year was one of my best and most social ever. It surprisingly made 2024 the best year in recent history. Spending the summer, autumn, and winter surrounded by friends compensated for my time in loneliness enough for this year to be considered a success.

This was a triumph.

HUGE SUCCESS.