Why You Should Probably Have a Blog

Posted on in Personal

Let’s be honest - I dragged my feet on starting a blog for years. I had all the typical excuses: I’m not an expert, nobody will read it, I don’t have time, my writing sucks… you know the drill. But after repeatedly losing track of how I solved certain problems (and then having to figure them out all over again, ugh), I finally caved and started documenting stuff.

Three years and 47 posts later, I’m kicking myself for not starting sooner. It’s been ridiculously useful in ways I never expected. So if you’re a developer sitting on the fence about starting a blog, here’s my unpolished case for why you should just go for it already.

Your Brain Is a Sieve (Mine Certainly Is)

The main reason I started blogging was purely selfish: my memory is terrible. Like, embarrassingly bad. I’ll spend an entire weekend solving some obscure Docker networking issue, feel like a genius on Sunday night, and then by Tuesday morning have completely forgotten how I fixed it.

Before I had a blog, my “documentation” system was a chaotic mix of:

  • Random notes in about 17 different text files
  • Code comments that made sense when I wrote them but read like cryptic poetry later
  • Scattered bookmarks I could never find again
  • Stack Overflow questions I forgot to save

It was a mess. Now when I solve something tricky, I write it up while it’s fresh. Not in a polished, perfect way - just capturing what the problem was, what didn’t work, and what finally did. It’s like leaving trail markers for future-me, who will inevitably need to walk the same path again.

Last month I hit a weird error with a Python library I hadn’t used in ages. I vaguely remembered dealing with it before, searched my own blog, and boom - there was the solution I’d written up 18 months ago, complete with the exact version conflicts and the workaround. Saved myself hours of re-debugging.

Writing About Code Makes You Better at Writing Code

I didn’t expect this one, but regularly trying to explain technical concepts has made me a clearer thinker and a better developer.

There’s something about trying to write up a solution that forces you to understand it more deeply. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve figured out a better approach while trying to explain my original solution in a blog post. The act of writing “here’s how I did X” often leads to the realization of “wait, I could have done this more elegantly.”

It’s like the programming version of rubber duck debugging, but instead of explaining to a duck, you’re explaining to potential readers.

Writing technical posts has also improved my:

  • Documentation at work (my PR descriptions are apparently now “actually helpful” according to my team)
  • Ability to explain technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders (without making their eyes glaze over)
  • Code comments and variable naming (turns out writing for humans is a transferable skill)
  • Technical interviews (being able to clearly explain your thought process is huge)

I used to dread writing documentation. Now it’s just part of my workflow, and I’m significantly better at it than I was three years ago. Like any skill, clear communication improves with practice.

Some Practical Advice From Someone Who’s Made All The Mistakes

If you’re thinking about starting a blog, here are some things I wish I’d known from the beginning:

  • Don’t overthink the platform. I spent way too long comparing static site generators, hosting options, and themes. Just pick something simple and start writing. You can always migrate later.

  • Write for your past self. If you’re stuck on what to write, think “what would have saved me time a year ago?” Then write that.

  • Don’t wait until you feel like an expert. Documentation of the learning process is incredibly valuable. Some of my most helpful posts are ones where I’m figuring things out as I go.

  • It doesn’t have to be polished. My early posts were way too formal because I thought that’s what technical writing should sound like. Now I just write like I’m explaining to a colleague, and it’s both easier to write and more pleasant to read.

  • Consistency beats frequency. I tried to maintain a weekly schedule at first and burned out fast. Now I aim for 1-2 posts a month, and that’s been sustainable for years.

  • Screenshots and code snippets are worth the extra effort. Future-you will thank you for including the actual error messages and working code samples.

It’s Not About Building An Audience

I think a lot of developers avoid blogging because they assume it’s about building an audience or developing a personal brand or becoming an “influencer” (ugh). It’s really not - at least it doesn’t have to be.

My blog gets modest traffic. I’m not Twitter-famous, I don’t have a YouTube channel, and I’m not trying to sell courses or build a personal brand. I’m just documenting stuff I learn and sharing solutions to problems I’ve solved.

The value is in the documentation itself and the occasional helpful comment from someone who found it useful. Even if literally nobody else ever read my blog, it would still be worth maintaining for my own reference.

Just Start Already

If you’ve read this far and you’re still on the fence, just give it a try. You don’t need:

  • A perfect setup
  • A content calendar
  • SEO optimization
  • A custom domain (though they’re cheap if you want one)
  • To be an expert in anything

All you need is to solve problems and be willing to write about the process. Future-you will thank you, and you might just help some random developer at 2am who’s facing the exact same issue you already solved.

Your blog doesn’t need to change the world. It just needs to exist as a record of your technical journey - both for yourself and for whoever might benefit from your experiences along the way.

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