Looking back, 2014 was, without a doubt, the most transformative year for College Info Geek. It was a period of unprecedented growth, strategic shifts, and profound personal development. We didn’t just meet our growth targets; we completely shattered them. This journey also led me to bring on two incredible team members and achieve several milestones I once thought were years away.
In this comprehensive annual review, I’m pulling back the curtain to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the engine that powers College Info Geek. We’ll explore the specific goals I set, the powerful habits I built to achieve them, and the tangible results of those efforts. You’ll discover the strategies, the tools, and the mindset that fueled our success. Let’s dive into the lessons learned from an incredible year.
From Amateur to Pro: The Power of a Consistent Schedule
If you were to browse our archives from the first half of 2014, you’d notice a pattern: content was published sporadically. I never released more than five posts in a single month. Fast forward to the end of the year, and the difference is stark. In December alone, we published 13 distinct pieces of content, including weekly podcast episodes and three in-depth videos, each requiring over eight hours of production time.
What caused this dramatic increase in output? The transformation boiled down to three core changes in my approach:
- I committed to a strict publishing schedule with non-negotiable deadlines.
- I began planning content strategically in advance, moving away from writing on a whim.
- I intentionally created “success spirals” to build momentum and systematically increase my capacity for work.
A major catalyst for this shift was the seanwes podcast, hosted by the prolific artist and entrepreneur Sean McCabe. He emphasized the importance of treating content creation like a professional commitment, stating that his audience expected content at specific times, and he delivered without fail. This resonated deeply with me.
Before this, my approach was purely amateur. I waited for inspiration to strike. As author James Clear aptly puts it, “Amateurs wait for inspiration. Professionals work on a schedule.” I decided it was time to become a professional. I began mapping out my content ideas in Evernote and scheduling them on a Google Calendar, creating a clear roadmap. My new weekly publishing schedule became:
- Mondays: New Podcast Episodes
- Tuesdays: In-depth Blog Posts
- Thursdays: YouTube Videos and the Email Newsletter
Adopting this schedule wasn’t an overnight success. I used the concept of success spirals—starting with small, achievable wins that build confidence and momentum for larger goals. I started by publishing six pieces in August and gradually ramped up. This incremental approach made the new pace sustainable. To enforce this new discipline, I used a powerful tool called Beeminder, which charges you money if you fail to meet your goals. This financial incentive was incredibly effective in keeping me on track, as you can see from my progress chart.
Setting Ambitious Goals and Shattering Expectations
Beyond creating a consistent schedule, my primary focus for the latter half of 2014 was growth. For too long, the site’s readership had plateaued. In September, I got serious about changing that. For the first time, I wrote down key metrics, noting our current standing and setting ambitious goals for the end of the year. The results were astounding.
Out of seven key metrics, we not only met but demolished five of them. Previously, I had been hesitant to set such specific, time-bound goals, believing that growth was unpredictable. However, I came to understand the truth of the Equal Odds Rule: the most successful creators are often also the ones who produce the most, because success is a numbers game. By increasing my output, I increased the chances of creating content that would resonate widely and drive massive growth.
This goal-oriented mindset extended to my personal life as well. In 2014, I was able to cross several items off my Impossible List, including:
- Performing 15 consecutive pull-ups.
- Designing and coding a WordPress theme from scratch.
- Participating in breaking a world record.
- Launching a YouTube show and publishing 13 videos.
Perhaps most significantly, I finished writing my first book. After years of having “write a book” on my to-do list, I completed the 18,000-word draft for 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less). It was an incredible feeling to finally bring that project to the finish line.
Building Unbreakable Habits: The Keystone Habit That Changed Everything
This year, I became obsessed with the science of habit formation. My journey began with simple if-then plans, but it evolved into a comprehensive system for building a better life, brick by brick. The most influential book I read on the topic was The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, which introduced me to the concept of keystone habits.
A keystone habit is a single, foundational habit that creates a ripple effect, making it easier to build other good habits. For me, that keystone habit was waking up early. I developed a system that made it impossible to hit the snooze button, and since July, I’ve been waking up at 5:50 a.m. every weekday.
This single change transformed my entire day. Instead of groggily scrolling through social media, I now jump into a powerful morning routine consisting of 12 distinct habits, including:
- Reading and taking notes for 15 minutes.
- Walking for one mile while listening to a podcast.
- Preparing a healthy breakfast.
- Completing the 7-Minute Workout.
- Meditating for three minutes.
- Planning my entire day with intention.
This routine builds an incredible success spiral, propelling me into my workday with focus and energy. The tool that made this level of consistency possible was HabitRPG (now Habitica). By gamifying my habits with streaks, rewards, and a party system for accountability, it helped me stick to daily goals like writing 500 words, doing 40 pull-ups, and even taking cold showers. Our College Info Geek guild in HabitRPG has grown to over 70 members, creating a fantastic community of support.
Embracing Video: How I Grew a YouTube Channel from Scratch
One of the biggest and most rewarding projects of 2014 was launching the official College Info Geek YouTube channel. For a long time, perfectionism and a lack of technical knowledge held me back. In September, I finally decided to just start. My first video was far from perfect—I used a simple reading lamp for lighting and the audio was off—but I published it anyway.
That first step was crucial. I committed to improving with each video, devouring resources from Wistia, building a budget lighting kit, and teaching myself advanced editing techniques in Premiere Pro. The results were astounding. By the end of the year, I had published 13 videos, and the channel was gaining serious traction. As the earlier stats showed, our videos were being viewed nearly 25,000 times a month, and our subscriber count was approaching 3,000. This growth proved that embracing a new medium, even with imperfections at the start, was a powerful way to expand our reach and impact.
A Complete Website Overhaul: Redesigning for Growth and User Experience
Another massive undertaking in 2014 was the complete redesign of the College Info Geek website. The old design was dated and, most importantly, not mobile-friendly. It also failed to align with my evolving goals for the site and its content.
This time, instead of modifying a pre-made theme, I started from scratch. I designed every element in Photoshop before a single line of code was written. Recognizing the limits of my own time and expertise, I made one of the best decisions of the year: I hired my roommate, Martin Boehme, to handle the development. This was my first real lesson in the power of delegation. Focusing on my strengths (strategy and content) while leveraging his (coding) allowed us to create a far superior product than I could have alone. The result was a beautiful, fully responsive website meticulously crafted for a seamless user experience on any device. It remains one of the projects I am most proud of.
The Power of Delegation: Why I Stopped Doing Everything Myself
The success of the website redesign taught me a valuable lesson: to grow, you must learn to delegate. I had always been a DIY person, teaching myself whatever skills I needed. But I realized this was also a weakness, as it prevented me from truly focusing on the high-impact tasks only I could do.
This year, I finally overcame my perfectionism and built a small but mighty team to support College Info Geek’s mission. I’d like to officially introduce them:
Laura Fiebert: Laura is our podcast guest-booking expert. She finds incredible guests, develops show ideas, and handles all the coordination, which has freed up countless hours for me to focus on creating great content. She also runs her own podcast, The Jug Hug Show.
Meg Soro: Meg is the podcast production wizard. After I finish recording, she takes over, editing the audio, writing the show notes, and getting everything ready for publication. Her expertise in the Adobe Creative Suite is a massive asset to our team.
Building this team was a pivotal step in transforming College Info Geek from a personal blog into a sustainable media company. It allowed us to scale our efforts and produce more high-quality content than ever before.
My 2014 Reading List: The Books That Shaped My Year
As 2014 was my first full year out of college, I was determined to continue learning intentionally. I devoured 20 books throughout the year, but five non-fiction titles stood out for their profound impact on my thinking and actions:
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: An absolutely essential read for anyone looking to understand the mechanics of their behavior and make lasting changes.
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport: This book powerfully argues that focusing on building valuable skills is more effective than blindly “following your passion.” A must-read for all students.
- The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter: A short, nerdy, and brilliant exploration of how to challenge the idea of limited willpower. It introduced me to concepts like Beeminder and success spirals.
- Fluent in 3 Months by Benny Lewis: A practical and motivating guide to learning any language by focusing on commitment and overcoming common mental blocks.
- A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage: A fascinating look at world history through the lens of six influential beverages: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola.
A Year of Adventure: Balancing Work and Travel
While I didn’t travel internationally this year, I made sure to balance intense work with plenty of adventures. I took 11 trips in total, ranging from business conferences like the World Domination Summit and Podcast Movement to personal trips like visiting New York City and cycling across Iowa for RAGBRAI.
One of the highlights was helping to break the world record for the longest yoga chain at the World Domination Summit in Portland. These experiences were crucial for recharging my creativity and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Looking Ahead: Goals and Gratitude
Reflecting on 2014, the key lessons are clear: consistency is king, setting audacious goals works, keystone habits create powerful momentum, and delegation is essential for growth. I hope that sharing this journey, including the data and the strategies, provides a useful roadmap for your own goals.
I have even bigger plans for the coming year, and I’m excited to continue this journey with you. Finally, I want to extend a massive thank you to you, the reader. Your support, feedback, and engagement are the fuel that keeps this engine running. Thank you for an incredible year!