MRR Goal: $1,000.00 This Week’s Revenue: $0

Things Completed This Week

1. The first MVP version of the second app is mostly done with core functionality, but it’s still unstable. Next week, I can release a TestFlight beta version.
2. Kept up daily posting on WeChat public account, Xiaohongshu, and X.com. One WeChat article, ‘How I Use AI to Assist Writing,’ got over two thousand reads and more than 130 shares.
3. Demonstrated the second product to two friends.
4. Helped a friend move.

Thoughts

1. The first confusion is the tension between ideals and actual user needs. I think all developers and designers have some original ideas, concepts, or pursuits. But most users often want faster, better, more convenient, cheaper, and more hassle-free experiences. That’s human nature. I’m curious: when Zhang Xiaolong talks about ‘restraint,’ how does he maintain a sense of order and long-term consistency in the overall product experience amid growing user demands, commercial pressures, and feature expansion? And when Steve Jobs insisted on Apple’s integrated ecosystem, how did he balance openness, freedom, and overall experience while enduring pressure from more open platforms and market competition? The confusion is: when should you stick to your so-called ideals, and when should you discern true user needs and make improvements accordingly?
2. The second product in this field has two key use scenarios, and the connection between these two scenarios is very strong. But due to technical limitations of the industry, only one can be satisfied for now. From a product design perspective, this is obviously hard to accept because it can’t complete the entire experience loop. I realized this problem during design but after demonstrating the product to a friend, I found it more severe. So for the second product, even though it’s not launched yet, there is already a strong sense of uncertainty about its prospects. This is the interesting aspect of design and creation: you always encounter many limitations and need to “dance with shackles.”
3. Planning to read ‘Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.’ A friend shared this book in an internal book club: different mindsets lead to different responses to tough problems. Some people get frustrated, while others with a growth mindset become more excited and see challenges as opportunities for growth. Clearly, I currently (or in the past) belong to the former. I hope that by reading this book, I can change some of my mindset.
4. I think choosing to be an indie developer was the right decision. Maybe I’ll succeed, maybe I’ll fail, but having this time to step out of just design and improve my skills more broadly is worthwhile. On one hand, it’s challenging and pushes me out of my comfort zone; on the other, after the struggle, torture, and reluctance, I’m starting to find this way of working a bit interesting.
5. About the WeChat public account. I’ve been writing on it for ten years, yet only have about 1,500 followers. There are reasons for such low numbers. First, the content leans toward personal feelings. Most of my articles record my personal feelings, with little value for others to share. Second, weak interaction with followers. When someone leaves a comment or message, I rarely reply, or I reply very briefly, not building deeper interaction with followers. Also, a lack of operational awareness. I haven’t done any deliberate operation, like asking friends to share suitable articles. These all need improvement.
6. Need to pray and commit. My wife suggested I pray for what I’m doing now, and I jokingly asked why I needed to pray. But now I see it’s very important. Because for me, I’m so prone to pride with a little progress, easily attributing credit to myself; and when I encounter setbacks, I sink into endless gloom, filled with worry. From a personal benefit perspective, I need to commit and pray. I also hope to glorify the Most High in this process.