Motivations
Why am I publishing a public idea garden?
1. Write to engage with + retain my readings
To think, you have to write. If you're thinking without writing, you only think you're thinking – Leslie Lamport
(via Jason (Private)) / source
Not every decision requires an ADR, but I wish I had written templates/processes/findings as reusable snippets rather than one-offs.
Writing is not just for "authors" seeking to be published. To write is to take partially formed notions, and give them complete enough form to be be shared with others. To practice writing is to practice thinking clearly.
When I read meaningful texts or watch useful videos, I produce an artifact. This way, the ideas have a better chance of being remembered, even if they aren't immediately applicable. Writing a note/summary is my baseline artifact.
See also: Andy (Private) on why you should "write about what you read"
2. Write small units now to save time later
As I only aim to post "complete" ideas, I don't publish often on my main blog. As a result, I have had many small/partially formed ideas never leave my head, and sometimes vanish altogether.
Reducing the friction of publishing increases the likelihood that I will reuse and iterate on my ideas in the future. See Zain Rizvi's post for an example of how structuring side projects as staged reusable components can increase your chances of success.
3. Learning + working publicly is good karma + enables good work
Not only do other creatives benefit from seeing in progress work, working in public fosters innovation on a scale bigger than individuals can achieve.
- Shawn Wang (Private)'s #LearnInPublic (Private) movement
- Blogs, talks, etc: https://www.swyx.io/learn-in-public/
- "You can learn a lot for the small price of your ego": (Podcast with Kent C. Dodds)
- "Work with the Garage Door Open": Robin Sloan via Andy Matuschak (Private) source
- Richard Hamming's The Art of Doing Science and Engineering
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On any given day, you'll get more done if you work with the door closed. But over the long arc of time, you'll achieve more if you work with the door open.
- Riff on proverbial "to go fast, go alone; to go far, go together"
- First encountered in book, highlighted via David Perell
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