In this first short post I want to explain my motivation behind this little project and what I hope to gain from it.
The first time that I formulated some of these thoughts that I’m going to lay out here, was roughly 10 months ago. I was sitting in the pedestrian overpass of Melbourne Central, sipping my favorite coffee and watching the crowds go by.
Ever since, the plan has been simmering, waiting for a time when all the stars align for a flawless execution. (which, let’s be honest, is a rare occurrence)
Very recently, I then came across an article by Michael Nielsen, who published a piece that elaborated some of these ideas in much more detail. That was enough to get me off the ground, sit down at my desk and start writing.
Let me be upfront: I’m not expecting a massive audience for what I write, nor am I necessarily aiming for that. This space is my way of refining my opinions, expanding my knowledge, and occasionally bouncing thoughts off my friends.
You might be wondering why I wouldn’t just keep these reflections to myself. Well, there’s something distinct about putting your words out in public versus keeping them private.
Accountability
For one, it will keep me accountable. Sure, I could elaborate on all these ideas in my private notes, something that I have extensively done in the past. The problem with all those writings is, that they all have a note / journal character. If I’m going to publish something on here, knowing that other people might read it, I am more inclined to really flesh out my arguments and better be sure to truly make my case bulletproof. In addition, I find that there is a certain satisfaction when hitting “publish” as a clear mental clue that a piece of work is polished and finished. Tabbing out of the notes app and calling it a day just doesn’t do the same for me.
Improve Writing
Despite possessing an somewhat extensive English vocabulary, I don’t consider myself an exceptional writer. The style of writing taught in academia functions well for scholarly articles but falls short for a general readership. Thus, there’s much to unlearn. I only became aware of what constitutes good writing after encountering Paul Graham’s essays on the subject a few years ago. It’s no surprise that the key to improving writing is to simply sit down and practice.
Connecting with others
A blog can help to connect you with like-minded individuals. As a window into your ideas and believes, people can quickly decide whether their values and vibe align.
Help me to think
Writing is a superior form of thinking. Only when you are actually forced to put your thoughts on paper, you start to notice all the gaps and the logical traps that you might get caught in. You will be forced to do a significant amount of research to actually underline your argument and make it valid.
Risk
Just like any venture, this blog comes with its own set of risks. By sharing opinionated pieces, I aim to provide a deeper understanding of my worldview, ethics, and values. Given the online nature of this platform, there’s the potential for others to use my words against me at some point. For example, even the CEO of Shopify, Tobi Lütke, takes measures like auto-deleting his Tweets after a while to minimize such risks.
However, there’s a simple way to address this concern, which aligns with my original goals. I’m committed to offering well-founded explanations, using factual evidence to support my arguments, and applying logical reasoning in my conclusions.
Of course, it’s natural for my opinions to evolve, and I might even cringe at some of my current views in the future. But as long as my arguments and conclusions remain solid, I’m comfortable with that prospect.
What am I going to write about?
I’m curious about a lot of different things and thus don’t want to keep these posts in one certain domain. I’ve got a few ideas for potential topics, somewhere I’ll share some of my own experience and others where I will try to provide research to support my argument.
How often will I write?
Probably not as frequently as I would like too. Still – by publishing this post, the first step is made. The initial goal is to publish at least once per month, and then later get that down even more. As with any habit, it will take work to get into such a routine.
Some housekeeping
You might have noticed that I tried to keep this design to a minimum for now. As somebody who has developed websites for a living, I’ve come to the conclusion that for most projects of this kind, less is actually more. Prioritizing page-speed over fancy fonts and hierarchy over moving text allows me to focus on what actually matters — the writing.