ExitLab was a place for experiments.
It turned out to be one itself.
When I launched ExitLab, I wanted to document real projects as they happened—the successes, the mistakes, the numbers, and the lessons. I believed that sharing the journey in real time would create more value than simply writing about the final results.
After more than six months, I’ve learned something unexpected.
While I still believe in the idea behind ExitLab, the format itself isn’t sustainable for me in the long run.
The reason isn’t that I don’t enjoy building projects. Quite the opposite. I enjoy experimenting, learning, and creating more than ever.
The challenge is that every project became two projects: doing the work itself, and documenting it along the way.
That creates a surprising amount of mental overhead. It changes how I think about the work, and it takes energy away from the projects themselves.
One thing I’ve learned is that good plans evolve when reality teaches you something new. Sometimes the best decision isn’t to work harder, but to remove unnecessary friction.
And since Hamster Wheel Exit is about building a sustainable path toward more freedom, meaningful work, and a better life, it only makes sense to apply that same thinking here.
So, from today, I’m pausing ExitLab as a separate format.
ExitLab Is Changing
That doesn’t mean the experiments stop.
It means I’ll share them differently.
Instead of publishing updates because the calendar says it’s time, I’ll write when I have something genuinely useful to share.
Maybe it’s a lesson from building a YouTube channel.
Maybe it’s what I learned from freelancing.
Maybe it’s a mistake that cost me time or money.
I believe this will lead to fewer updates—but far more valuable ones.
I’m not trying to build a diary.
I’m trying to build a library.
A place filled with ideas, lessons, mistakes, and practical guides that people can return to months or even years from now.
Ironically, the biggest experiment wasn’t one of the projects.
It was ExitLab itself.
And it taught me that this particular format wasn’t the right long-term solution.
That’s exactly what experiments are for.