The Plan

I hate writing about my plans online. I love doing it, but I hate the way it feels. This blog alone (and this is what, my 10th-ish blog?) has had at least three “I’m getting back to blogging” posts. Sometimes it’s just the only thing I can muster. I have the ambition to do something, but not the energy to make it anything substantial. And so, this is a “here’s the plan” type of post.

The plan is to make this my online home. I’ve spent so many years trying to figure out where I want to make a place for myself, and it doesn’t make sense to make a home on rented property[note]Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube (to some extent)[/note]. So, here we are.

The plan is also to follow the advice of one of my favorite books, “Show Your Work”. Speaking of books, my next post will be about some of my favorite ‘self help’ books.

The plan is to do this regularly. Not “every week” regularly, but often enough that when you remember that this blog exists and decide to check in on it, there will be something new here waiting for you.

The plan is to figure out what this space is as I’m working on it. I’ve tried the “make a plan — follow the plan” approach and it doesn’t work. It leaves too much room for my perfectionism[note]which is nothing more than an excuse to do nothing[/note], it doesn’t leave much room for experiments, and it feels like a needless limitation I’m putting on myself to ‘pick a niche'[note]ew[/note] for my ‘content'[note]barf[/note] instead of just sharing whatever’s on my mind that particular week.

The plan is also to use this as an opportunity to get out of my own head. I’m in my own head a lot, and it’s not a particularly welcoming place. It’s not cozy. But this right here? It can be cozy.

The plan is to stop pressuring myself to become an authority on something before I share my thoughts on it. I’m not perfectly fine being an idiot online, but I’m trying to be fine with listing my favorite Tom Hanks movies having never seen Green Mile[note]Toy Story, Cast Away, Catch Me If You Can, and that bit in The Circle where he says “we’re fucked”.[/note]. Does that make sense?

The point is that life is a lonely experience, and despite how unhealthy it is to be pointlessly screaming into the void, it helps.

The plan is to shout out into the void and try not to expect to hear anything back, but be open for a response or an echo of some sort.