Start With Why
This is my blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
For the past year or so, I’ve flirted with the idea of having a blog — a place where I can think out loud, share cool tools/tips/books, and explore ideas at length. I kept coming back to this idea while planning my 2018 (a topic for a future post), and knew I had to give it a shot. Currently, this blog is a year-long experiment for myself; I’m committing to writing 50 longish-form pieces this year (although, since I’m making up the rules, this count can include posts on my company’s blog).
The outcomes and hypotheses I want to explore:
- I’ll become a better writer — that might mean developing a clearer voice, ironing out stylistic tics, overcoming writers’ block, etc.
- Writing will help me clean up my thinking by forcing me to clearly explain ideas, which requires me to understand those ideas first.
- Writing publicly provides me the accountability to avoid (or, at least, double-check for) sloppy thinking and fallacies.
- Will having an outlet for my thoughts change the way I perceive the world? Will I be more present and notice more moments because I’m looking out for potential post topics? Will I be more inclined to follow a train of thought in case it’s a potential post topic?
- Can I find true fans? Do I have any ideas or experiences that someone would find valuable or interesting?
Topics I might write about (not exhaustive):
- Software engineering: up and down the stack of modern web applications
- Food, fitness, and nutrition
- Books — summaries, opinions, agreements, disagreements
- Philosophy (mostly practical)
- Misc — songs, life hacks, photos, etc
A little about me: I’m relentlessly curious about a wide variety of topics. By day, I’m a software engineer at Trustwork (more about what we’re doing later). Most of my non-work time is spent reading, talking with friends, and occasionally traveling. I’m also @FeifanZ on Twitter.
I tend to over-use em-dashes. Sometimes I can’t resist being snarky, or slipping in a cringe-worthy joke. I’m sure I’ll look back on this post one day and think it’s the cheesiest thing ever.
But for now — onward!
Cover photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash