Two Minds

I’m of two minds on creating a blog. On the one hand, it’s intimidating. I’m asking people for their time. The only thing they get in return is my thoughts. I’m not confident that the things I have to say are sufficiently interesting to justify the use of people’s time. It’s an egoistic point of view.  On the other hand, I’m incessantly drawn to the idea of having a blog. Why?

First, Not Reasons

A quick search for reasons to blog produces endless listicles on the topic. Many can be simplified to: “be famous”, “make money”, or “work remotely”. These do not appeal to me.

First, I don’t want to be famous. Fame appears exhausting. It would make my life less fulfilling. I actually consider fame a reason to not blog.

Next, I love my job and career as a Software Engineer. Blogging full time would interfere with the time I get to spend writing software and solving hard problems. I suspect that would be a net negative for my overall life satisfaction.

My Reasons

In approximate order of priority.

Clarify My Thoughts

When I explain something, my own understanding is clarified. There’s something especially valuable about communicating via text. Writing down an explanation and iterating until it’s in its simplest form without being simplistic brings real clarity.

This happens often at work. As I write out an explanation, I discover gaps in my knowledge. I’ll do research to fill them. The new knowledge helps me conceive a better way to represent the concept. It’s a virtuous process and I love it. Blogging will increase the breadth of topics on which I apply this process.

Find Interesting People

I would love to connect with people who share my interests (Hi!).

Say Interesting Things

I’m enamored of the idea that no idea is new, but it may be a unique mixture of old ideas. It is my hope that my experiences will provide a basis for presenting a unique perspective.

Track My Thinking

The way I think is constantly changing. My hope is that this blog will give me insight into that change.

Memory Assistance

I forget much of what I’ve learned. An archive of posts will serve as a wonderful reminder of the most interesting things I’ve learned.

Improve My Writing

I’m not a strong writer. I still occasionally mix up “to” and “too”. Blogging will give me an opportunity for deliberate writing practice. (Critiques welcome)

Guiding Principles

I’ve spent a moderate amount of time introspecting my motivation to blog. This post contains first principles for why I’ll post.