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Reflecting on 52 articles and one year of The New Diligence: why human authenticity and quality writing still matter in an AI-saturated world.  This week marks one full year and 52 articles since I launched The New Diligence. My articles have covered everything from How Social Media Rewires Our Money Mindset to Using Money to Buy Happiness. By most metrics, I'd consider my first year a mild success, though the audience reach has been a mixed bag. A handful of pieces broke through to 100,000 impressions and drew hundreds of click-throughs; most landed closer to 500 impressions and a lonely click or two. Pouring hours into a piece only to watch it get swallowed by the algorithm can be humbling, but it always brings me back to why I started this blog in the first place: I write for the love of the craft. In an AI-dominated world, quality writing is noticeably harder to come by. For every thoughtful, well-written piece out there, 50 others don't even bother to hide their lack of effort. AI Made Research Easier, but Growth Harder When I first launched this blog, I assumed AI would make my job as a writer so much easier -- helping me save hours on research, smooth out grammar, and generate eye-catching headline ideas. The research part has held up; tracking down relevant data to support a thesis used to be grueling work, and now, it's not so bad. What I didn't expect is how difficult it would be to grow a readership in the AI era. Reaching dedicated readers is tough when their eyes are fatigued from scrolling through endless formulaic, computer-generated writing pieces. While discerning readers can easily spot low-effort AI text, sifting through it still takes cognitive energy, and frankly, we’re all exhausted by the filler content. Instead of discovering new blogs, substacks, or independent writers, people are simply retreating to safe, proven ground:
For the record, I’m not blaming readers for this at all. I’m one of them! Searching for up-and-coming blog writers is hard work; I usually only have time to consume the tried-and-true. This creates a massive roadblock for audience growth, though. I don't have a pre-AI legacy audience to rely on, nor am I all that interested in pivoting to video. As a result, my blog feels a bit stranded -- struggling to build the readership it needs to reach the next level. Doubling Down
Nearly every marketing study and specialist I've come across says that written content is oversaturated and outdated. Honestly, they’re probably right. So what am I going to do about it? I’m leaning in harder. It isn't that I’m camera-shy or don’t believe in the power of video content; I simply value the art of the written word and prefer dedicating my time to giving my audience high-quality articles that they can genuinely learn from. So here is my commitment to you, the reader: every hour I save on data gathering and research with the help of LLMs will be poured directly into refining my writing. In a world where anyone can push a button to generate a mediocre 6/10 article on basic budgeting, I promise to give 10/10 effort to publish 10/10 quality. Trust is such an important part of what I do for work, and that same standard applies to everything I publish on my blog. I want to earn the difference between "just another article" and something worth your time. You deserve to know that whenever you read The New Diligence, the thoughts belong to a human who truly cares about the topic, week in and week out. Authenticity matters so much to me. One year in, I want you to know that I take my voice and my craft seriously, so you can always rely on The New Diligence for thoughtful, honest guidance in the world of money. If you haven’t read any of my work yet and you’re interested in money, economics, behavioral psychology, and better decision-making, check out some of my articles! Here is a list of some of my favorite pieces I’ve published over the past year:
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