I am not bragging when I say that this might be the most personally productive year I have ever had in my adult life. Middle age has offered me some wonderful gifts and the desire to share them has been a virtuous cycle that continues to reward me the more I share.

This year I have...

  1. Read 20 books
(I just finished my 20th book but couldn't figure out how to make an updated image)

I set a goal of reading 25 books but that was a fairly arbitrary target. Given how much I accomplished this year I think I am ok with that outcome.

  1. Recorded 24 YouTube Videos

I want to do a lot more of this in the future and I think I will have a greater opportunity. Most of the videos were documenting the process of making my movie but there were a few science teaching videos that I am also proud of.

Right now I don't really have a set up for this but that is part of my plans for 2025 so hopefully I will be able to make videos on a more consistent basis.

  1. Wrote 52 essays and published 46 of them

Most of these were on my website but many were for other sites I am working with like my friends at Transform Fitness, the Gymnastics Strength Training program I am working with. I have also written for the Elham Fund, the non profit I am volunteering with and another company that hired me as their ghostwriter.

  1. Completed 30 sketches

I didn't draw nearly as much as I wanted. I should work on being less precious about sketch time. I definitely have 10-15 minutes a day available to me to sketch something interesting. Not going to beat myself up about it though.

  1. Finished my first half marathon

I ran a half marathon in March of 2024 in Asheville North Carolina. I am proud of this but it definitely is the area that has slipped the most. I had planned on signing up regularly for athletic events in order to force myself to stay in shape... that has not happened.

I plan on signing up for something in the spring I just haven't been able to overcome the friction of getting started.

  1. Started my company, sketching for science, and have given Professional Development courses at four schools.

Drawing enhances observation, which is the cornerstone of real and lasting learning.

I can teach the basics of sketching in under an hour (this elephant sketch was this middle school teachers first drawing since childhood), which can set teachers on a road to enhanced appreciation for learning and will hopefully play a role in transforming how schools teach science.

  1. Finished the first draft of my book, "Sketching for Science"

It's about 50,000 words now. I am focused on the idea that drawing is an important tool for us to understand scientific concepts and that if we want to really understand anything we need to do three things:

  • See it,
  • Explain it
  • Create something new with it

Drawing and writing down what we observe allow us to do all three things so drawing plays a pivotal role in deep learning. I will take some time to edit the book over the rest of the winter and then... actually figure out what to do with it!

  1. Finished principal photography on my film, Tabula Rasa

This is my greatest personal accomplishment in that this movie began as a glimmer of an idea I wrote during covid lockdowns five years ago is now something real.

I can't show you any footage yet but if you are curious you can check out the videos I filmed while we were making the movie this summer!

  1. Became a board member of the Elham Fund and helped to raise over $100,000.00 to feed families in Gaza

This is far and away the most important thing I've had a hand in developing in my entire life.

Working with the Elham Fund and helping the children of Gaza even the tiniest bit has kept me from falling into despair over the shattering suffering I have seen in Gaza.


I would love to ask you to read about our work and the families we have been serving. Subscribe to our substack and help this wonderful Gazan led charity. 100% of your donation goes directly to families to purchase food, diapers and other necessities.

"We overestimate how much we can do in a week and underestimate how much we can do in a year" as the saying goes. I am genuinely surprised at how much I have managed to accomplish this year.

I think one of the things that really shifted this year was that I have gotten to the point where I think about creating things as a relaxing activity. There are times I would rather watch TV than write but now writing feels like a reward for the end of the day instead of something I need to pressure myself to accomplish most nights.

This will be my last essay for the year. The act of sharing has made me a better human being and I am grateful to each of you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I hope this coming year is happy and healthy for you and all your loved ones.