This week, I wrote the first blog post I’ve written in a long while. Maybe a year, maybe give or take a little bit more on that? Regardless how long it’s been, it was such a nice feeling turning something I posted to Bluesky and into a slightly longer form post on my blog as well.
Now, I want to keep writing, keeping the habit going and build out a lovely published online archive of thoughts… my musings. However another part of me also wants to spent time not writing new content, but (re)preserve the posts, articles, and other notable writings from my past here as well… giving anything new I write a cozy spot to live amongst in my whole body of writing work.
Whenever I visit another website and see years of content, I love taking the time to dive deep into their archives. There’s just something fun about seeing what someone writing in 2025 also had to say back in 2009.
And that’s something I think would be neat for my blog too. As far as I can tell, I’ve been writing online since the late 2000’s, and have an archive of most of it one way or another. Going back into my archives, pulling select pieces of work, and re-publishing them (backdated, of course) feels like a project worth doing, even if only to have a bit of fun for myself.
Finding the things that give me good feelings are the things I like to try to do as often as I can. In-fact, it’s a whole premise of a book that Ali Abdaal wrote called “Feel-Good Productivity” and the idea of “what would this look like if it were fun” has been rung in my head every day since first reading it. And maybe to me, what would make blogging fun to me is being able to also look back and reference the thoughts I had years and even decades ago. Even if it’s an undertaking that may take a while to get right.
So, what’s stopping me from getting started? On the surface, not a whole lot. However, a little deeper down, I feel some amount of my own perfectionism is halting me. Instead of just doing, I am stewing a bit on:
- Do I touch up any of my writings that I am re-publishing, even if I am backdating it?
- Is it disingenuous to backdate content that has been touched up?
- Can I only stick to republishing works that fit the same style, medium, and tone of this blog? (and similarly, what even is the style and tone of this blog? aren’t I fully in control of that?)
- Will it even serve a purpose? Is it worth it?
But really, I think the answer to most of that, and my own perfectionism is “do any of these constraints I am putting on myself here really matter?” Really, first and foremost, my blog is an outlet for me to write and create, while secondly, it’s for anyone who either stumbles upon and/or subscribes to follow my fleeting thoughts, opinions, and works.
Which really seems to be the answer to most of my own perfectionistic thoughts that stew in my head and block me from actually doing what is most important: living a life full of things I enjoy doing.
So yeah, maybe I will start to dive into the past, embrace it, and bring it back to life to serve as a contrast among my present and future.
