20k engineers, 110 posts, 11 templates: what we’re building next
Most engineers lose time in tickets and Slack. Use these templates to save hours weekly and show proof for your next raise.
Productive engineers do not waste years grinding tickets. I write this newsletter to give you systems, not theory, so you can save hours, build career capital, and earn trust for your next promotion.
This year proved that what I share is working. Let me show you the results and how I’m doubling down.
What we achieved together in the last 1 year
We've narrowed topics to keep every issue relevant for productive engineers. (more about what content to expect next year below).
We published 52 articles, 13 of them for paid subscribers.
Increased how actionable the paid tier is:
9 learning tracks to guide your practice.
11 templates you can copy to apply the post the same day.
An archive of 110 posts for paid subscribers.
One in four posts has been paid only.
We published articles with relevant AI topics like prompt engineering vs spec-driven development and context engineering. Feedback has been positive, and I am tinkering with POCs to bring the advice into actionable tips and tools you can use.
We hit 20k free subscribers and 82 paid subscribers!
We appeared throughout the year in Substack’s ‘Rising in Technology’ ranking. Here's a screenshot of being recently in the #28 place!
We're getting 10k+ views consistently in all articles as the lower bound, with outliers up to 32k views! For me, this is proof that they are useful to people.
I learned productive engineers want a takeaway they can apply today. The internet is full of knowledge, but we all use ChatGPT because it helps us apply that knowledge to our lives. I want the paid articles of the newsletter to do the same, so you read it from here and do not need to piece it together alone.
Why prices are changing
I launched the paid tier with nothing from the list above, just an archive of ~50 previous articles. People still subscribed (shoutout to Federico, the first paid sub!)
We’ve already gone far beyond what I first imagined. To keep delivering the system that turns you into a productive engineer, I'm updating prices
The monthly plan will be €12.99 per month.
The annual plan will be €124.70 per year (you save 20% compared to the monthly, that's €31.18).
The founding plan stays the same.
If your goal is to become a productive engineer who delivers results without longer hours, don't be left outside
I've added some FAQs at the end about how subscribing to the paid tier works in Substack. Keep reading!
How I’ll reinvest to help you become a productive engineer next year:
I have been writing for two years, and I have not felt this much "content-writer-fit" before (yes, I decided to coin this term).
This makes me excited to invest back into a newsletter built for productive engineers:
You'll get more frequent small ideas every day when I start scheduling short-form posts with reliable services, so you see a steady cadence. Expect more from me in Substack Notes.
You'll also get more cadence once I'm able to ship from everywhere, getting a laptop instead of being tied to my desk.
You'll get more articles as a paid reader. I'll be adding bonus issues during the year. To make sure it's sustainable, at some point during the year, I'll add an extra post every month for paid subs, then 2 a month, etc.
I will share more behind the scenes with paid readers, a retrospective post like this one. What worked, what did not, and what I'll try next. I've come to realize now I'm building this community in public, and you will see the plan, the goals, and the progress. I'm planning quarterly retrospectives.
I've been thinking about what my unfair advantage is for a while. Those things that I'm good at, I enjoy them, and people have some need for them.
It took time to name it. I started writing about techniques to make progress in your career because that was what I was reading about and learning to apply. But niching down, the thing people ask me most about at work and my friends from university is about productivity, adopting new tools, and creating systems. That can help you save time to allow you to do all these career-growth techniques.
This niche is where I feel at my best, and where readers engage most. The name of the newsletter says it out loud: Strategize Your Career. It reflects how I work, with intention, systems, and choices that avoid low-value work.
That's why I will keep refining a one-stop system that guides your work and career. Most newsletters give articles. I want to give you systems.
The system we're creating for productive engineers:
This is the system I'm creating myself, and I want to provide for paid subscribers. Here's how it works:
Phase 1 - You feel at full capacity: Meetings, reviews, emails, Slack messages... You name it. No free time at work. Yet most days are day-to-day tasks that do not move your career.
Phase 2 - Become more productive to free 30 to 60 minutes a day. We start by strategizing daily work. One fewer PR review. One less review meeting about requirements. We'll reduce this back and forth.
Phase 3 - Use that time for activities that earn you career capital, like advising in a design review group, mentoring an engineer, investigating, and prototyping a solution.
Think about it like stats in a video game. You join as a junior with zero points. Your goal is to hit 1k for mid-level, then 10k for senior, 100k for Staff/Principal level. Day-to-day work gives some points, but not enough. Paid readers get the specific actions and flows to increase this career capital.
Phase 4 - Your balance grows. You can use it with peers to earn trust and feedback. You use it to lead projects. Later, you cash it with your manager in a promo doc.
That's the system. The goal isn't to write articles like most newsletters, but systems to implement yourself.
You can start learning the system today to operate as a productive engineer with 11 ready-to-use templates, 9 learning tracks, and a 110-post archive. And this will only get better through the year.
If that sounds good, you can tag along for the next year with €12.99 monthly (€155.88 yearly)
That's cheaper than Netflix, takes less time than Netflix, and unlike Netflix, it pays you back with a future salary increase.
But if you're here for real, you can lock the next year with the annual price of €124.70 to save 20% compared to the monthly price.
However, I don’t want to stop there. If you’re still reading, you’re serious about growth. You care about freeing time and turning it into career capital. You want a system that supports that.
For the next 5 days only, we're doubling that discount. The yearly plan is €93.52, that’s 40% less than the monthly plan (25% discount on annual plan)
Your price will be lower than anyone who subscribes after October 2nd, 2025.
Become a productive engineer now. Lock the annual plan for €93.52, save 40% vs monthly:
I was researching and asking myself, does it make sense for people to pay for this? Is it worth the price?
Take this as an investment in yourself. An investment in becoming a productive engineer. Let's say that you get promoted one more level until you retire, just one, thanks to applying what you learn from here.
You'd increase your salary by 41.93% according to levels.FYI, the data in your promotion
That's
+$65k per year from L1 to L2
+$92k per year from L2 to L3
+$131k per year from L3 to L4
+$186k per year from L4 to L5
Sure, you may not be in the US to have these high numbers. But I'm pretty sure the 41.93% increase in annual salary is way higher than the cost of the newsletter. That's a good deal.
It's your time to become a productive engineer. I know you can work smartly, free up time to think about your career, and earn that career capital to get promoted in the future.
I can’t promise a promotion, and you wouldn’t want me to. That'd be irresponsible from me. What I can promise is one actionable article each week, with templates to apply immediately, cancel anytime, and a 7-day refund after your last payment.
Get now the 40% discount compared to monthly pricing, locking in the full year in for €93.52:
Last year, when I enabled the paid tier with zero paid subscribers, I was wondering, will people find it valuable once inside?
It turns out Substack had a feature for paid subscribers to send you feedback. This is what 4 paid subscribers wrote since I enabled the paid tier last year.
Honestly, I didn't message any paid subscribers for a testimonial, and I didn’t have time to get confirmation from all of them to share their blurbs. These just popped up during the year in my Substack dashboard. That's why I've decided to blur any personal identifying information other than the first name
These people are already inside. It's your turn now. Lock the annual plan for €93.52, save 40% vs monthly:
Some Frequently Asked Questions about the price change
I know you may have reluctance to give money to someone on the internet. That's healthy. Otherwise, you risk getting scammed. I'm the same. That's why I decided to write these FAQs, which just come from Substack's official FAQs, but they are easier to access here.
This newsletter and all its subscriptions are managed by Substack. You can request refunds or cancel from your Substack account and directly with their platform.
I already pay for the newsletter. Will my price change?
No. Your price is grandfathered while your plan stays active. New purchases after the change use the new rate.
I am on the monthly plan. Can I switch to annual?
Yes, anytime. Steps for web:
Under Subscriptions, click the publication
Click Change next to Plan, choose Annual, and confirm
The new plan starts right away, and your renewal date moves to the day you switch. Substack may prorate upgrades. Your receipt shows any adjustments.
If you bought on iOS, manage it in the Substack app, Settings → Payments → select the publication.
I already have a paid subscription. Can I get a discount before my renewal?
Discounts apply when you purchase through a special link. If you want the discount now, you can cancel and re-subscribe with the offer link. You will lose your grandfathered price going forward.
Will my subscription renew automatically?
Yes. Plans auto renew on your billing date. Substack emails a reminder about a week before. To stop renewing, cancel before the date. You keep access until the end of the paid period.
Can I cancel anytime? Do I get a refund?
You can cancel anytime. Access remains until the end of the current period. Substack honors refund requests made within 7 days of payment.
What happens if I lapse or cancel and come back later?
If you return after the change, the new rate applies. Staying active keeps your old price.
I want to lock in the discounted price of your launch offer. How?
Start an annual paid plan with discount before the offer expires. The discount applies to the first billing period.
Someone gifted me a subscription to StrategizeYourCareer. Do they auto-renew?
No. Gifts and donations do not auto renew.
Will taxes or VAT be added?
Depending on your location, tax may be added at checkout. Substack uses Stripe Tax to calculate it. You’ll se the final price at checkout.
I paid through the iOS app. How do I manage my plan?
Open the Substack app → Profile → Settings → Payments → select the publication. Apple handles billing for in app purchases.
I am a founding member. Does anything change for me?
No. Your plan and benefits continue. You can switch plans at renewal from your account settings.
If you still have questions, reply to this email or write me in Substack messages.
If you are still reading, you want to become a productive engineer. I have no doubts about it. You are likely doubting yourself.
I can't promise a promotion. I cannot stand next to you at work.
But I can be that guy on the internet, reminding you about working with intention, making progress step by step, and reaching higher goals than you thought possible.
Take a chance on yourself today. I'm rooting for you.
Become a productive engineer now. Lock the annual plan for €93.52, save 40% vs monthly:
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Wow, congrats on an incredible year! The focus on actionable content, learning tracks, and templates really sets this newsletter apart that makes it not just informative but immediately useful.