A silhouette of trees is set against a vibrant orange-red sunrise sky.

Day 123. My prior 122 days of posting a photo each day of 2025 went without much issues, a daily reminder task able to keep me on track.

But on day 123, I simply forgot. And I was relieved.

I had given myself an out to try and keep the streak going throughout the year, just post a blank screenshot or accept a day or two missed in the year and keep it going.

But inside I knew once I missed a day, it wouldn’t be long before gave myself permission to miss more and eventually give it up.

It’s surprisingly draining to generate a new photo everyday. Even when you give yourself a pass to not be creative every day or to take a photo from the same place multiple times; you naturally put pressure on yourself to not repeat yourself.

Eventually I started to dread having to generate a new photo daily. I loved when I could get it out of the way at the start of the day; a good sunrise or beach view made that easy. But if I couldn’t do that, it started to distract me from other things in my day.

Winding it down has not been a regret and I’m not looking to reattempt it in the future.

While I haven’t been taking and posting as many photos since, it has encouraged me to take my camera out with me more often; as well as look at scenes from different viewpoints to try and capture a different perspective.

I admire those who have (or still are) doing a 365 photo challenge; but am glad to put this one aside.