Post #7 of the 100 Days to Offload challenge.
I've been doing this 100 Days to Offload challenge for the past month. I've written around 6 blog posts in the last month, one of which was technical.
But in the last week, I haven't written a single blog. I've been thinking: Is writing these blogs even worth it? And I think I've found what's getting in the way.
Self-censorship.
Every time I write something or think of a topic to write about, suddenly a thought comes: will it be worth publishing? Is it good enough? How will people see it? And then I drop the idea. Now I realize that this challenge is about letting go of this very self-censorship and expressing myself through words.
For the first 100 blogs, I don't need to care about anything other than publishing. By publishing, I'm expressing myself, and it is overwhelming for me.
It's uncomfortable to let go of that. Maybe that's why I've been avoiding publishing altogether. I want to tell myself that if I'm feeling overwhelmed, then it is okay.
So here are a few things I want to remind myself of:
- Don't restrict your self-expression. I know it's not easy. That's exactly why I'm doing this challenge.
- Put out more instead of overthinking whether it's perfect.
- I'm allowed to write imperfect articles.
- I don't need every article to be useful, technical, or impressive.
I also keep worrying about how many technical articles I'm writing. I want to improve technically, and I should keep working on that. But I don't need to turn it into another hurdle.
I don't need to make every article perfect. I just need to stop censoring myself.
For now, the goal is simpler: Write. Publish. Move on.