30 Apr 2025 #writing
In 2024, I went all in with my writing.
Writing worked like free therapy to recover from burnout. After months of inactivity, I decided to revive my LinkedIn account. I started writing 1 post a week, and of course nothing happened. Then I wrote 2 posts…then 3…until I settled on writing every workday.
Some of my ex-coworkers and friends have noticed some of my posts. They have genuinely asked me how to do it on their own.
Here are some of the myths about writing anywhere online I’ve heard:
1. I’m not an expert
Who’s an expert anyway? If you wait to be an expert, you will never start writing.
It takes 10,000 hours to be an expert. Do you have time for that? Write to be an expert, don’t wait to be one to start.
2. I don’t know how to write
Writing takes time to master. But to start, imagine writing for one person: a friend, your kid, a coworker, or your dog. Talk out loud and transcribe it. Or imagine you’re texting a friend and write inside a chat app.
3. I don’t want to expose myself
You don’t have to share pictures of your feet. Don’t write about subjects you wouldn’t bring up at work.
4. I’m not a native English speaker
Write in your native language.
5. I’m not good at explaining things
If you’re a coder, you are already good at explaining things. Coding is explaining things to a computer. Try to do the same in writing. Don’t try to write like a “writer,” share an algorithm. Start by writing TIL Posts
6. I don’t have anything to share
If you have learned something in the past 2 years, you have something to share. And you’re already sitting on content ideas, you just need to notice them.
7. I don’t know where to publish
Start on social media. Start writing a tweet or whatever they’re called now. Or try with LinkedIn. It might be cringy, but it has fewer trolls. On LinkedIn, the feeling is the boss is watching, so everybody behaves.
8. My boss will find out
Your boss won’t care. Your boss is busy pleasing their own bosses.
9. I need my boss’s permission
Unless you’re planning to write about company secrets, you don’t need your boss’s permission. You don’t need permission from anyone.
In fact, always write about what you do at work. That’s better than claiming you did something on your CV.
10. People will make fun of me
Nobody will make fun of you. Just hit publish.
11. Nobody will read
You can always read and like your own stuff on social media. Write for your past self, and don’t worry if anyone reads.
12. What if my writing comes up in future interviews
Congrats! It means someone found and read your stuff. And it will make you memorable. “Oh, the guy who wrote about XYZ.”
By writing, you can skip hiring lines. For example, my blog has done more for me than a portfolio.
13. I have too many ideas. I can’t decide what to post.
Post what you would have liked to read 2 years ago. See what sticks and keep writing about that.
14. I sit to write but nothing comes up
OK, that’s writer’s block. But that’s not the real problem. Again, write for your past self. Or try following writing prompts.
15. I don’t know how to create a website
You don’t need a website. Start on social media or social blogs. And if you’re a coder and want to start writing, don’t code a blogging engine.
I don’t have a New York Times best-seller and I’m not an expert either and you made it this far. That’s the power of writing online. Write as if nobody is reading and keep writing because you don’t know who you might help. Start today and see where your words take you.
29 Apr 2025 #misc
While scrolling through yesterday’s Minifeed for inspiration, I found this blogging challenge on Living Out Loud. Turns out David, from Forking Mad +, started it. No more writer’s block.
Here I go:
Do you floss your teeth?
Yes. Once a day.
Tea, coffee, or water?
Coffee only in the mornings with breakfast. No sugar. 1L of water a day. And tea, occasionally after dinner.
Nothing in particular. But I like to wear shoes without laces when traveling. It saves so much time at security controls.
Favorite dessert?
I don’t have a sweet tooth. But if you’re curious, Arroz con Leche (Rice pudding. Literally, rice with milk) is a popular dessert in my country.
The first thing you do when you wake up?
Brush my teeth, a glass of water, and a moment of silence. I started the last two, as part of my Daily Practice, after ditching my todo lists.
Age you’d like to stick at?
I wouldn’t like to stick at any age. Every age comes with challenges to face and lessons to learn. Last year, I got laid off and recovered from burnout and I learned some valuable lessons. That was something I wouldn’t have learned at any other age.
How many hats do you own?
Not exactly hats, but I have a couple of baseball caps.
One day, I attended a meeting on Teams at work in a past job. And during a 1-on-1 with the VP of Engineering, he said, “If you want to be a team leader, you should start looking like one.” And that meant stopping wearing caps. Leadership required a different look. Arrggg!
Describe the last photo you took?
I took a photo of a loved one coming back home after almost a week in a hospital.
Worst TV show?
I don’t have a TV show I’d call “the worst.”
Maybe it’s because I don’t watch that many TV shows. But I will tell you some of my favorite ones: Homeland, The Diplomat, Scorpion, and Dr. House.
I used to feel guilty about watching TV shows. But I realized when we see the world with our writer’s glasses on, content ideas are everywhere. So I started writing about TV shows and movies I watch. No more feeling guilty.
As a child, what was your aspiration for adulthood?
I had many ideas: joining the Navy, studying Biology, being a polyglot, and many others I can’t even recall. I’ve always struggled to find one passion.
I also answered the Bear Blog Questions Challenge the other day.
28 Apr 2025 #books
I’ve changed my mind about reading books.
I started reading to grow a large “read list.” But I couldn’t remember some of those books, even when I had notes. I couldn’t even remember their covers.
Then, I switched to “just-in-time” learning. Reading only when facing a challenge or working a project, so I didn’t forget the lessons from books.
Reading one book a week seemed like a distant goal. Reading 500 books to reinvent myself seemed impossible. I thought it was only doable with speed-reading techniques and tweaking the definition of a “read” book.
But yesterday, I found this YouTube video with practical ideas to read one book a week.
Here are some of my takeaways:
#1. You do have time to read. On average, we spend three hours watching Netflix. That’s time we could use for reading.
#2. You don’t have to read in a single 3-hour session. Split your reading time throughout the day. Read during idle moments: while taking your morning coffee, after lunch, or before going to bed.
#3. Have dedicated spaces for reading. Make sure they’re comfortable enough. Maybe a good chair and a source of natural light or a lamp.
#4. Add 20 seconds of friction to your distractions. It could mean leaving your TV remote in another room or taking your phone out of sight. Also, make your reading sessions as easy as possible to start. Make sure starting a reading session takes you just 20 seconds.
#5. You don’t have to finish one book to start another. Balance your reading among three books: one for learning, one for entertainment, and one for inspiration. I found a similar idea on Choose Yourself by James Altucher: Read for two hours and write down 10 ideas from what you read.
#6. Every time you find interesting concepts or ideas, pause for a moment. This is to give your brain time to activate its diffuse mode and start working behind the scenes. Also, notice connections between what you’re reading and the other two books. Maybe a concept from a non-fiction book might appear applied in an autobiography. This sounds similar to step #6 from my 6-step process to read books.
#7. When you find a new concept, ask yourself what’s the easiest step to start implementing that concept.
#8. Have a book implementation journal. Every time you apply a new concept you found in a book, keep a log entry of how you did and how easy it was to apply.
More ideas for my own reading strategy. So always be reading, not to show off a large book list, but to retain and apply.
27 Apr 2025 #misc
The fear of letting my salary slip through my fingers pushed me to organize my finances.
I had doubled my salary as a Software Engineer. I was earning in a stronger currency. And I didn’t want to regret letting all that money leave my pockets without doing anything productive with it.
I read finance books and watched YouTube influencers to get my finances in order.
Out of all that content, here are 7 tips I followed to take care of my finances:
1. List your sources of income and expenses. This is to know how your money is flowing in and out of your pockets.
2. Follow the 50/30/20 rule for conscious spending instead of strict budgeting. I learned this one from “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi. Set apart 50% of your income for fixed expenses like housing and food, 30% for savings and investing, and 20% for guilt-free spending. Of course, tweak those last 30% and 20% to suit your needs.
3. Use the envelope method. Separate your income into categories by putting your money into envelopes. And only spend what you have in each envelope for each category. For example, only use the money from the “Coffee” envelope to drink coffee outside. Of course, you can follow this method with virtual envelopes in your bank account.
4. Pay yourself first. This is a lesson from “The Richest Man in Babylon.” Before paying for your expenses, save and invest first.
5. Start an emergency fund. Call it F*ck-you money or whatever you want. But save enough to cover months of expenses in case you lose your job or face any other emergency. A strong emergency fund was crucial when layoffs came knocking.
6. Be careful with your credit card. Use it if wisely. Only if you already have money to pay for purchases and take advantage of extra benefits like travel insurance or access to lounge rooms in airports.
7. Automate your payments and investments. Again, another lesson from “I Will Teach You To Be Rich.” The goal is to live a rich life, outside of spreadsheets. So automate payments for your credit card and automate deposits into your savings or brokerage accounts.
26 Apr 2025 #writing
Your headline is the front door to your content.
People will only enter your shop after seeing an attention-grabbing sign on the front door. Headlines work the same. No matter how thoughtful and actionable your post is, if the headline doesn’t “hook” them, they won’t read it.
To write better headlines, steal them like an artist from YouTube or from other posts.
Here are the headline templates from some of my most-read posts on Medium. Steal them and tweak them to fit your content.
- <Number> Subjects I’ve Changed My Mind About as a <Profession/Role>
- 9 subjects I’ve changed my mind about as a Software Engineer
- For <Outcome>, <Key Action> in Your <Context>
- For cleaner domains, move IO to the edges of your app
- To break free from debt, stop using your credit card
- Using <Popular Action> Doesn’t Make Your <Context> Truly <Desired Outcome>
- Using lambda expressions doesn’t make your C# code functional
- Cutting down on cups of coffee doesn’t make you save more money
- <Number> Alternatives for <Common Action> When <Context>
- Three alternatives for the startup class when migrating ASP.NET Core projects
- Five alternatives for eating out when saving money for your next trip abroad
- The Best Way to Get Better at <Skill> Isn’t Just <Common Misconception>
- The best way to get better at coding isn’t just writing more code
- The best way to make more money isn’t just asking for a raise
- If You Enjoy <Activity>, Think Twice About <Counterintuitive Decision>
- If you enjoy coding, think twice about joining the management track
- If you enjoy photography, think twice about starting a wedding photography business
- You Only Need These <Number> <Category> to <Big Transformation>
- You only need these four books to change your relationship with money
- You only need these two gym routines to lose 10KG of fat in the next 30 days
- Steal This <Number>-Step <Process> to <Outcome>
- Steal this 6-step reading process to retain more from books
- Steal this 5-step process to land your first coding job
As writers, our job is to hook readers one line at a time. Nail your headlines and opening lines and you’ll write posts readers can’t stop reading.