#MDBD

Most developers have started a blog at some point. Almost none of them are still writing.

Don’t start a blog. You already know the reasons why you should.

• It’s good for your career,
• it helps you learn,
• it builds an audience,
• whatever.

Maybe the interesting question isn’t “why should I blog” but “why did I stop.”

The Work Nobody Talks About

Writing at 30% the effort. NO wait. I mean Writing is just a small part of it. Yea, right.

You might, have you considered, possibly, that you perhaps, need a topic.

You need to know what you are talking about, you need to research it.

Truth matters, I guess, probably still right?

I mean, certainly add to the conversation, that that matters.

Publishing is the easy part. Maintaining a unique presence on multiple platforms is not.

What started as “I should write about this thing I learned” quickly turns into a quarter-day or half-day ordeal.

And that’s one post. Now there is tomorrow. And after that, another day.

You need a topic. You need a topic. You need a topic. You need a topic.

It Becomes Work

At some point, blogging stops being fun and interesting and becomes something you have to do. It feels like an obligation. You’re forcing yourself to sit down and write.

This matters to me because I’m currently on a daily publishing streak. Every day is a struggle on what to talk about.

You know what’s fun? Side projects. Building things. Tinkering with a new language on a Monday morning because you saw someone post about it. Writing about that? Easy. Staring at a blank editor trying to come up with something insightful about React server components? Sometimes fun.

Write about the fun stuff. The rest will follow. Or it won’t. That’s fine too.

What Actually Keeps One Going

I don’t have all the answers. I barely have some of the answers. But here’s what I’m doing.

I built a system. A whole content pipeline. CLI tools. Posts go through a lifecycle: draft, schedule, push. The system is not responsible for inspiration. It just managed those things. Markdown.

I lowered the bar. Way down. Not everything has to be a certain number of words. I don’t even know what my best-performing posts are. Isn’t that crazy? I have no idea. I don’t check. I’ll care later, maybe.

I write about what I’m already doing. What are you working on right now? That’s your next post. What are you interested in? What are you using that could be better? There. Done. You have a topic.

No wait, nevermind. Ah crap, I need another topic.

I stopped optimizing. You don’t have to figure out all the things you should be doing. Keywords. Thumbnails. Social media strategy. Just get the words out. The words are the hard part. Everything else is a distraction disguised as productivity.

The Commitment Problem

Blogging is a commitment. That’s the whole problem. Nobody is going to fire you for not posting this week. Nobody is likley two notice. :D

Streaks work for some people and not others. I’m on day 102 of one. Don’t ask me why I doing this to myself.

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