I enjoy reading Steve Yegge’s blog. In his most recent post, he said:
“Even if nobody were to read my blog, the act of writing things down helps me think more clearly, and it’s engaging in the same way that solving a Sudoku puzzle is engaging.”
“You should try it yourself. All it takes is a little practice.”
Truer words were never said. At least for me, this is very true. I was thinking about the difference between the items I commit to this blog and, since I’ve started, I found it not only helps me organize my thoughts (much like a good project retrospective or post-mortem should), but it also gives me a sense of purpose and energy. I keep notes on projects, I have libraries of code snippets and save all manner of links and other electronic ephemera for my personal reference. But by discriminating among them, winnowing out the chaff and selecting particular items to polish and post, I gain new perspective on the work I do. And, like Mr. Yegge, even if no one ever reads this blog, I find it worthwhile. But you should read Steve’s blog – it’s quite excellent.