Take the Easy Way Out

Or, another way, take the simplest way forward.

The first time I started writing online I spent weeks researching tools. Eventually I picked one that fit all my possible eventual needs, but required extensive customization. After all this work I was so exhausted that I gave up.

The second time I started writing online I decided I wouldn’t make the same mistake, instead I would just write the entire thing from scratch. You can imagine how this ended up. (Note: I did end up publishing my site online, and I’m still very proud of that work, however, it did not get me into the habit of publishing often.)

The third time I started writing, and hopefully the last, I went with a pre-existing platform because I knew it would be good enough to start doing the real work—that is, to start publishing often.

All this to say I, like many, have a bad habit of the depth first search. Before we can feel comfortable taking the first step, we need to be certain that it’ll be the first step of the optimal approach.

This is not only ridiculous, it gets in your way.

I’ve had to learn this lesson over and over, but each time it gets a little easier and I catch myself a little quicker. Now when starting a project I try to ask myself “What is the true purpose? What am I trying to develop?”

Now, if your purpose is to learn about html, css, seo, open graph markup, etc. Then writing something from scratch might be the right approach. But, if your purpose is to publish writing online then all of that additional work only serves to distract.

In this specific case the easy way out—going with a system I don’t need to think about—is what empowers me to do the real work.

The advice I would give myself:

Or, otherwise put, “take the easy way out.”

2021-04-24