10 Apr 2025 #writing
If you want to start a coding blog, don’t start with a deep dive of the Linux Kernel or other cryptic topics, unless you’re an expert on them.
Instead write short “Today I Learned” (TIL) posts.
TIL posts are shorter posts where you share something you’ve found or figured out.
When writing TIL posts, you don’t have to worry about long introductions or conclusions. Just write a good headline, a code block, a quick explanation, and your sources. And write using your own words, like in a conversation with a coworker. Here are my TIL posts as example.
That’s enough to make a post worth reading.
TIL posts invite people into your learning journey.
Don’t try to lecture the coding world about what they should do. Start documenting your learning instead.
Instead of writing “5 VS Code extensions every coder should install,” try “TIL: 5 VS Code extensions I couldn’t avoid installing.”
Or instead of “5 Git commands every coder should know,” covering the same basic Git commands, write “TIL: 5 Git basic commands to use everyday” or “TIL: How Git Status works.”
Did you spend 20 minutes or more figuring out something? write a TIL post. That’s the easiest way to start a coding blog. And don’t think of writing your own blogging engine.
09 Apr 2025 #misc
As full-time employees, we only stick to “our part.”
If we’re coders, we only care about coding. If we’re designers, we only care about Photoshop. Somebody else handles finding clients, marketing, sales, and follow-ups. If we, as full-time employees, care about what’s not “our part,” we stand out.
But with a side gig, a SaaS product, a novel, or a hobby to monetize, we have to also do everything else that isn’t “our part.”
When we do “our part,” the job isn’t done. We have to wear all those hats. We have to be our own marketing, sales, and customer satisfaction departments. We can’t expect others to do that for us.
Doing great work alone isn’t enough. People won’t just come. Do great work, then make sure the world knows about it.
08 Apr 2025 #misc
“And so…what happened?” she said.
I was with a friend at a supermarket while the cashier passed the products along the band through the machine. There was a copy of “Psychology of Money” on the counter. And I was telling my friend my favorite story from the book.
“There was a guy in a town. He was the school janitor. You might think janitors don’t make a lot of money.” I said while the cashier was listening. “But after he died, they found out he was a millionaire who donated part of his fortune to the local library.”
“So…what happened? He worked for nothing?” the cashier asked me.
“Well, maybe that was his success. Cleaning rooms for kids to study. That was what he enjoyed,” I told her.
“Nah, nah, nah,” she said while she leaned back, stretching her arms behind her head, “I want to be doing nothing.”
# # #
I’ve changed my mind about success lots of times.
For a while, I thought success meant climbing the corporate ladder to the title of VP in a tech startup Silicon Valley. Then, it was mastering coding, chasing the “expert” label. Then, it was sitting on a beach holding a piña colada while trading and enjoying financial freedom. Then, it was something else.
But those weren’t my own success metrics.
They were success metrics I had absorbed without question. From YouTube, from my peers, from the rich. It took me a burnout season to realize I had been trying to make this corporate dream work for over 10 years. Better late than never.
For the janitor, maybe it was a boring job. For the cashier, doing nothing. But my success metrics these days? Working on things I love and following my passions without worrying about money.
Your success metrics don’t have to be like mine or like anyone else’s. And that’s fine. But whatever they are, make sure they’re truly yours.
07 Apr 2025 #writing
“Hey, how’s your LinkedIn posting doing?” he said.
I was at a gathering with some friends and ex-coworkers. “I read your posts. I don’t like or comment on them, but I read them.”
That was surprising. I wasn’t expecting a greeting like that one. That was a small win and encouraged me to stay consistent and keep showing up.
Last year, I revived my LinkedIn account and started to use it to share my ideas and build my writing skills in public, instead of simply using it to land new jobs.
When we start writing online, we expect to have thousands of followers, tons of comments, and to become thought leaders in just a couple of days.
For some reason, we don’t expect the same when practicing a sport. But we think it’s true for social media and writing online.
The first months of writing online are lonely. Nothing happens. Nobody likes or comments on any of our posts. Post after post goes nowhere. Just cricket sounds. We’re shouting into the void.
But those first moments are the ones that make us build our persistence muscles and push us to improve our craft. “I didn’t make it today. There’s another chance tomorrow.”
Write as if nobody is reading, and keep writing because you don’t know who’s reading.
06 Apr 2025 #misc
Every beep, buzz, and notification is designed to keep us hooked.
The other day while preparing my Friday Links email, I found Seven39. A social media platform that only opens from 7:39PM to 10:39PM EST.
It made me think of what features I’d like to see on a non-addictive social media app:
#1. It only opens on a fixed schedule. Inspired by Seven39 itself. Or, instead of a fixed schedule for everyone, users set their own open hours, capped at two hours per day.
#2. It only allows you to have 150 connections, at most.
#3. After open hours, it goes into “dumb” mode or simply kicks you out, and you can’t log in again.
#4. It only allows a maximum number of interactions, such as likes, comments, or reposts, per day.
#5. Users are limited to one post per day. You’re better off thinking carefully about what you want to share. You only have one shot.
#6. It’s invitation-only.
#7. It doesn’t email you, except for authentication and security reasons. No email notifications at all. No “someone viewed your profile.”
#8. No endless feed for you to scroll. You can only interact directly with your connections.
#9. It has no notifications while you’re online. You should only receive a daily digest of your connections’ activity on your post.
#10. It has no metrics. Just likes.
A platform like this needs a name. What about these?
- BeepZero: No beeps. No notifications. Just connection.
- TinCan: Your friends, you, and a tin can phone.
- NoSocial: The nosocial media platform.
Which one is your favorite? Mine is TinCan.
Would you sign up for a platform like this? Of course, after you receive an invitation.