I used to hear about blogs quite often. Friends who had them would mention them and I’d think “Interesting, but that’s definitely not something I would do”. However, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked… haha Sorry, I couldn’t resist! Right, so getting serious again; my thoughts on blogging changed once I saw it was recommended by respectable people I followed. A couple of them were Cal Newport, author of Deep Work & Digital Minimalism and computer science professor at Georgetown University as well as Seth Godin, author of The Dip and Tribes and entrepreneur. Both advocated so energetically and convincingly about the merits of blogging that I ultimately decided to give it a try.
With that being said, I didn’t suddenly decide and jump in only to try it. I’m very picky about how I spend my time. All my perfectionist and Type A tendencies make me try real hard to spend my time on my priorities. But I noticed that blogging had finally become a very real option, as something I could see myself doing. At the same time, I also came to the conclusion that, without yet knowing the details, I would like to eventually write a book. I trusted that the topic would eventually present itself and I would at that moment be compelled to write. But what if by then I wouldn’t have developed the skill for it? That’s when it became clear that blogging could get me to practice the craft of writing and help me hone my skills. This is aside from the fact that I could potentially use a bulk of my blog posts when writing my book. Things seemed like they would work out.
Before I forget, I’ll briefly explain if you’re not exactly sure what a blog is and what it could be about (trust me, I wasn’t so sure about this either). A blog (short for Weblog) is a webpage that includes pages of writing in an often informative style. Travel blogs are popular for anyone wondering where to visit or what to eat in a certain city. Opinion pieces are also often found on blogs.
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all: Read a lot and write a lot.”
Stephen King
Now, when I decided I would start a blog, I went through the initial process such as setting up a blog name and preparing a domain. Once that was done, I started thinking about what I would be writing. This was the most challenging task for me. Not because I did not have anything to write about though. I’ve always been interested in different aspects of life. The list of topics I enjoy learning and reading about include history, philosophy, sports, physics, mathematics, arts, music and psychology. The challenge was chasing one or two single topics. That would have also been possible if I enjoyed only one or two more than the rest. However, I almost equally enjoy four or five of these topics.
Now, if you thought “Why the hell would he try to focus only on one or two topics?” thats an appropriate question. If you didn’t think about it, it’s fine, of course! There are two reasons. The first is that I had read somewhere that the topic of a blog should be focused enough so that people clearly know what they are visiting the blog for. The second issue was my own perception about general rules of content production. I compared blogs to YouTube channels and thought that unless I focus “enough” (whatever that means), I’d be all over the place. The flaw with this is that I have a reason for my interest in all these topics. I also personally don’t see them as completely separate topics regarding how the world functions and the role that we each could play within it.
Finally, I decided I’d write about whatever was interesting to me. The destination will eventually become clear, the process is what matters most. This means topics like volleyball, Philosophy, manga, cappuccinos, mental models, reasoning and problem solving will be just a few I’ll write about.
“For years, I’ve been explaining to people that daily blogging is an extraordinarily useful habit. Even if no one reads your blog, the act of writing it is clarifying, motivating and (eventually) fun.”
Seth Godin
To finish up, I think it would be a waste not to share some of the benefits I have read or heard about blogging. Most importantly, its a practice of self-expression. Organizing your thoughts and putting them onto a page to see more objectively has a therapeutic effect as well as developing your capabilities to communicate. Another benefit is that depending on the topics you chose and the reach you are able to have, you could very much contribute to causes that matter to you. Also, through the experience of the blog, you can connect with new people and cultures.
For me, the benefits seemed higher than the initial cost of time and energy to start and give it a try. If you are interested in any of the benefits or think that the experience has even the slightest chance of being meaningful for you, give it a try. Seriously, just do it for a couple of posts. You might love the freedom you get from expressing yourself!
Orange Stoic 