I just did it, I created my first blog. But why?
The idea of starting a blog has been floating in my head for a while now. I have found so many useful blog posts over the years that inspired me to give something back to the sea of information that is the internet. But I’ve always had the impression that I wouldn’t be able to contribute something meaningful back. And even if I’d be able to write something potentially helpful, what are the chances that someone discovers this blog?
However, I recently concluded that it doesn’t have to make a difference whether anyone finds this blog as writing has benefits that don’t require someone else to read what I am writing. I’ve come to see this blog more as a documentation and thinking tool for myself instead of sending messages for other people to read. It’s also a way to practice writing itself – an important skill – as well as the English language (which is not my native language as you can probably tell).
Reading Söhnke Ahrens’ “How to Take Smart Notes”1 – a book about Zettelkästen – was the trigger that finally made me consider this idea seriously. In the book, he describes a workflow that consists of gathering information, processing it, and then writing about it. He attributes quite a few benefits to “just […] doing as if nothing counts other than writing“2. Some of which don’t require a reader.
Writing is also a tool to help to order thoughts and find simple words to test my understanding.
So I’m starting this as an experiment. Maybe blogging turns out to be the best thing ever, maybe I’ll stop after a handful of posts, we’ll see. I’m not going to restrict myself to a topic for now, so the next post may be about electronics, software, some part of my organization system – or something completely different.