Gradually Returning to Daily Life
It’s been three months since my left arm surgery. In the early part of the second month, my left arm still didn’t have enough strength to travel alone, making it difficult to grip bus or subway handles, so I traveled with family or friends. Long outings would build up fatigue, making it hard to move around for extended periods. Still, as autumn was in full swing, I enjoyed short walks. I go out when the sun is bright since sunlight helps with feeling less depressed.
Reducing computer time naturally increased my reading time. Thanks to that, I read about two books - one novel and one humanities book.
When my left arm gradually started gaining strength, I tried light cooking. While I couldn’t lift heavy objects, I became able to do dishes, do light cleaning, or move things around.
After some time, manual therapy was reduced to once a week, and my doctor said I could do lower body exercises. So I started PT again, focusing on lower body workouts. I wanted to do exercises that make me sweat, and while it took quite a while, I was happy to get back to it. Of course, I can’t overdo it, so I focused on lower body and core exercises without putting pressure on my arm. I can run, but there’s quite a bit of arm jarring, so I can’t run long - about 1km or 10 minutes.
I also contacted and met with people around me after a long time. I gradually expanded my range of movement and started meeting people. Though brief, I felt grateful that these connections continued.
While there are still areas with dull sensation and hand numbness, the scattered arm bones are now almost aligned horizontally, and the black gaps between bones are gradually becoming cloudy. Bone regeneration material between the bones is gradually forming. My arm’s range of motion is almost complete. Now I just need X-ray examinations and doctor visits twice a week. Manual therapy is also almost finished.
Black Friday Sale
As I reduced development time, I completely forgot about the big event - Black Friday. I thought it would be good to run another sale around that time, but decided to add the most requested feature - opening events in other calendar apps - and release a new version. I planned to avoid adding too many features and completed development before Black Friday. Version 1.2 added features like opening other calendar apps when tapping widgets, showing not just today but future upcoming events, iOS 18 support, and FAQ. I released the app update to coincide with Black Friday and posted on Reddit like I did with the previous version launch. I also created screens for bug reports and information, and thanks to that, I received bug report emails and proceeded with bug fixes. However, I didn’t get the explosive response I had with the previous sale.
I also proceeded with ASO optimization. Searching for competitor apps and keywords, I realized there were more things I didn’t know than I thought. I learned what keywords would be advantageous for my app, what screenshots to use, what descriptions to write, etc. While there are many competing apps, I saw gaps where my app could target niches. App Store visibility is the most difficult part, and I think I need to work on this for a long time.
Recently, I installed keyword-related programs and it’s been interesting to check them out. I can see whether my app is exposed for certain keywords, the difficulty of keyword exposure, etc. I need to gradually find and study more programs that help with ASO or app distribution.
First Payout
December 4th, I received my first payout. It wasn’t much, but it was meaningful since it was my first revenue from the app. The minimum costs for developing and launching the app were covered by what I earned. Apple’s Q4 settlement timing was quite late, so I received October revenue in early December, which made November tough. Going forward, I’ll save Apple’s settlement dates to my calendar to prepare for months without incoming revenue.
Since this is a paid app rather than a subscription product with monthly revenue, new purchases need to happen every month. Looking at the trends so far, I’m earning at least $100 per month. While explosive income occurs during sale promotions, I need to earn revenue even without promotion/marketing. I’ll probably develop a new subscription app starting next year to create a new pipeline.
Closing
It’s already December 2025. I need to organize and reflect on what happened this year and prepare for 2026. This year, a major event happened to me and things are flowing in an unexpected direction, and I hope it becomes a major turning point in my life. Next year, I’ll further develop the app I’m currently making, launch new apps, and take on new challenges. If I made a somewhat clumsy career change to becoming a solo developer this year, I expect to move forward in a more refined state next year. I’m looking forward to returning to my previous daily routine a bit more.
App Download:
I Need That Widget