My 2025 “Year with ChatGPT”: Confessions of a Power User (and Why You Should Try This)
Every December we all do the same thing:
We pretend we’re going to “slow down next year.”
We make one brave resolution.
And then the internet drops a year-in-review that makes us feel seen.
This year, ChatGPT joined the party with Your Year with ChatGPT — an optional recap that looks back on how you used it in 2025, including high-level themes and some ridiculous stats (in the best way).
And friends… my recap called me out.
My 2025 Stats (aka: Proof I Have a Type)
Here’s what my year looked like:
13.61K messages sent
569 total chats
193 images generated
17.19K em-dashes exchanged
Top 1% of messages sent
First 0.5% of users
Chattiest day: Aug 25
If you’re reading that like, “Darin… are you okay?”
Yes.
And also: I clearly use ChatGPT the way some people use coffee and yes I drink a lot of coffee as well.
(screenshot for reference)
What This Actually Says About How I Work
This isn’t “wow, look at my stats.”
It’s more like a mirror for how I think.
1) I don’t use AI as a search engine — I use it as a workbench
569 chats tells you everything.
That’s not “what’s the capital of France” usage.
That’s:
spin up a new thread for a new problem
break big ideas into small steps
iterate fast
keep moving
2) I iterate out loud
13.61K messages and Top 1% = I’m not here for one-and-done prompts.
I’m here for:
“Try again.”
“Better.”
“Make it tighter.”
“Now make it funnier.”
“Now make it clearer for non-tech readers.”
“Now… cite your sources.”
This is how good work gets made. Not by inspiration — by reps.
3) My punctuation has a personality
17.19K em-dashes exchanged is objectively hilarious.
It means my conversations are full of:
asides
nuance
mid-flight pivots
“wait, but what about…”
So yes, the recap basically said:
“This guy builds in public, in real time, with chaos energy.”
Accurate.
4) I’m using image generation like a creative scratchpad
193 images generated isn’t “I’m an artist now.”
It’s:
thumbnails
visual concepts
quick mockups
“show me 5 options”
“okay now make it more modern”
“okay now make it less cursed”
If you create content (or presentations, or training, or internal docs), this is a cheat code.
The Bigger Point: This Isn’t a “Wrap.” It’s a Feedback Loop.
The most underrated part of this feature isn’t the numbers.
It’s the idea that you can step back and ask:
What did I actually spend time thinking about this year?
What kept coming up?
What did I learn?
What did I build?
Where did I get stuck?
What patterns show up in how I work?
That’s not a gimmick. That’s a reflection tool.
And reflection tools are how you compound.
Why You Should Use “Your Year with ChatGPT” (Even If Your Stats Are Tiny)
Because it’s not a flex.
It’s a baseline.
If you’re early on, it helps you notice:
where AI is already helping you
where it’s not
what kinds of prompts actually create value for you
And if you’re a heavy user, it helps you tune your workflow:
fewer dead-end chats
better prompt patterns
more repeatable “systems” instead of one-off convos
A Challenge for 2026
If you haven’t used ChatGPT much, don’t start by asking it random trivia.
Start by giving it your actual life (the non-sensitive parts):
That email you need to write
The plan you’re trying to shape
The decision you’re stuck on
The thing you want to learn but keep postponing
The content idea you’ve started 7 times
Then iterate.
Don’t treat it like a vending machine.
Treat it like a collaborator.
The One Setting That Matters
Per OpenAI’s release notes, to see the full experience you need:
Memory ON
Reference Chat History ON
A minimum activity threshold
It’s optional, personalized, and rolling out gradually.
That’s it.
Your Turn
If you got your recap…
What did it reveal about you?
Were you a “one chat a month” person — or did you accidentally build a second brain?
Drop your funniest stat (or biggest surprise) in the comments.