Today we look at getting time back in two ways. First is by not caring what people think so you don't bother wasting your time on that. Second is by maybe saying goodbye to social media, which happens to be the focus of book club this month as well.
Then I also talk about writing online and how to maintain longevity.
Not caring
Time is obviously finite, but attention might be the more valuable capacity. I can have an hour spare and still waste it entirely. I can spend that hour scrolling, arguing with a stranger on the internet, researching something I’ll never buy or worrying about something that won’t matter next year. - I no longer care
This summer I've been slowly coming to the realization that I spend a bunch of time researching things that are only incrementally better than something I already own. That if I spent that research time enjoying the thing I own, I'd have another hour of enjoyment. Another hour away from screens.
One of my great enjoyments of getting older is not caring. I have an excellent unicorn cycling jersey that has at times attracted derogatory comments. Being able to look at the person making them and genuinely saying I didn't ask for an opinion is a superpower. I watch my kids in school care so much about what their friends think and I wish I could give them that superpower of not caring.
Writing for the web
Tracy shared how they write for the web and what writing for the online medium means to them.
My process boils down to writing what I find interesting, which is why you have phases of writing on my site. I wrote about freelancing when that was interesting and I was figuring it out. I wrote about Obsidian and note-taking for a few years while that was something I was figuring out.
This means I gain/lose readers as my interest lines up with their interest. It likely limits the "growth" of my content because I'm cycling readers more than the usual churn.
But it also means I don't feel burnt out on my writing. I'm not trapped by my content. I change it to suit whatever is interesting.
That's my biggest tip for blogging since it's unlikely you'll turn blogging or courses or books into a full-time income. Write about what's interesting and let others join you if they want.
Just enjoy the process of writing.
Enshittification or platform narcissism?
Are platforms worse, or should old people just stop complaining because the platforms aren't for them anyway? That's the subject of this 404 Media essay that looks at this article published by a16z.
I have to agree with 404 Media's critique of the article. Ruby Thelot, in their a16z article, cherry-picked stats that have nothing to do with how people feel about using social media. That is the playbook of organizations like a16z though. They want to convince us that all the money they've invested in taking our attention was money well spent and we're happy with the outcomes they've graciously provided to us with their billions of investment capital.
None of us want to believe that we're the villain. a16z is simply trying to tell us why they don't see themselves as the villain. I'm not buying it.