What to write about

Sometimes trying to meet some arbitrary schedule for writing, daily blogging etc just gets in the way. I know I want to write and removing the “must be on a schedule" tax and write like I am leaving breadcrumbs for Future Me.

I am just thinking out loud here but here are some ideas:

1) TILs

Write what I just learned, even if it feels “too small”.

Easy TIL prompts

• “Today I learned: how to ___ (with one OH YEAH).”
• “The mistake I keep making with ___ and how I fixed it.”
• “A command / shortcut I wish I’d known last year.”
• “Three notes after using ___ for the first time.”
• “One diagram that finally made ___ click.”

TIL structure template

• Context (1–2 sentences)
• The thing (what I learned)
• The gotcha (what tripped me up)
• The fix (exact steps or snippet)
• A link or two (optional)

2) Project writeups (make “done” mean “documented”)

Anything I build is a little victory.

Project post prompts

• “What I built, why I built it, what I’d do differently.”
• “My favorite small detail in this project.”
• “The hardest bug and how I hunted it.”
• “Before/after screenshots and the one metric that changed.”
• “If someone else built this: what would I tell them first?”

Project writeup checklist

• Screenshot or GIF (minimum viable archaeology)
• What it does (plain language)
• How it works (one diagram or bullet list)
• Tradeoffs (what you didn’t do and why)
• Next steps (even if it’s “ship it and rest”)

3) Other formats that stay easy

More variety?

• “Notes on…” posts: messy, honest, useful (books, talks, tools, trips, workflows).
• Mini case studies: “I tried X for 2 weeks; here’s what happened.”
• Link posts with commentary: one link, 5 sentences, one takeaway.
• Checklists you actually use: packing list, release checklist, interview prep, etc.
• Public questions: “I’m confused about ___, here’s what I’ve tried.” (People love helping.)