From Zero to Publishing a Blog: How and Why I Launched It – Part II

A few weeks ago, I stepped away from my regular habits, job, and daily routines to explore a new skill: filmmaking and video editing. The experience was pure, high-octane dopamine. My mind and workflow zeroed in on one mission—submit a one-minute video to a well-known editing contest. Fueled by the drive to learn and deliver, I submitted 15 minutes before the deadline. And more importantly, I learned something new. You can read the full story in Part I: “From Zero to Submission: How a Tight Deadline Taught Me Video Editing.”

Now What?
As I explained in Part I, I needed a break from the grind of coding—my day job. I love software development and have no plans to quit, but I wanted to test something new. Could learning a new skill reset my mind and boost my productivity?

That experiment led me down the rabbit hole—into creativity, dreams, and possibilities. Writing daily, something I didn’t plan for, became a surprising byproduct. And once I started—keyword start—I built a habit. I carved out time for it, squeezed between software updates and meetings. In my calendar now lives a glowing block titled “Creativity Time.” That time is sacred—writing, filming, editing, or brainstorming. It's not respected. It's worshipped.

New Lord in Town
Faith has always existed for me—Catholicism, Buddhism, universalism—I believe in something. But beyond religion, I’ve found a new driving force: creativity. It nourishes me the way spiritual belief does for others.

This passion has profoundly impacted my life, especially my work. Oddly enough, shaving off a third of the time I used to give to work has made me more productive, not less. My output and quality have improved.

Crash and Burn Tendencies
For years, my routine was: 9–5 work, 7 PM–1 AM work again, then sleep 1:30–6:30 AM. Rinse, repeat. When I hitched a ride on the creativity comet, my schedule stayed the same, but what I did at night changed—no more extra hours of coding. Instead, creative work.

You’d think my day job suffered, but it didn’t. In fact, it got better. I stopped wasting time on non-essential tasks I would take on out of habit or people-pleasing. That’s a common trap: being a workaholic and a people pleaser is a recipe for burnout. I nearly hit the wall.

Mission Complete. Objective Neutralized.
Somehow, I avoided burnout. But before my life-changing habit, my work had started slipping—bugs, errors, a to-do list as long as the Jack Ryan series. Then, almost overnight, priorities shifted. I cut the fluff. Non-essential tasks? Tagged, bagged, and archived.

As for essential tasks, I tackled them with laser focus. Dopamine-powered, octane-fueled bursts of productivity. Because my brain reset each night, my workday improved. Deadlines no longer stressed me—they became puzzles to solve. I started negotiating them (yes, negotiating deadlines), which was unheard of for a chronic "yes-man" like me. Saying “no” became my new superpower, and I didn’t feel guilty. I had other commitments, and I honored them.

Was life perfect? No. Fires still broke out. But I handled them with clarity and tactical precision—cutting the noise, solving the core problem, and moving on.

Why Did I Launch My Blog?
Simple: because I wanted to.

That’s the only reason you need. If your motive is money, promotion, or some “passive income” trap, get a part-time job. You’ll make more, faster. Blogging for money is hard and often slow.

But blogging for passion? That’s something else.

If your goal is to express yourself or showcase your skills, great. But only if you’re genuine. Audiences can smell fake from a mile away. They may act naïve, but most people know when you're being sincere—and when you're not.

I launched my blog because I love writing. I want to share my thoughts, experiences, and whatever small wisdom I can offer. That’s it!

Enjoying the journey so far?
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How I Launched My Blog.
We live in an incredible time. The tools available today, especially with AI, make it easier than ever to create. Don’t shy away because of hype or fear. Use the tools. Start.

“Unlike most animals that evolve to fit their environments, humans evolved to change theirs—and in doing so, migrated and adapted to every corner of the planet.”

— Paraphrased from Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), W.W. Norton & Company

To speed things up, I used ChatGPT.

I prompted:

"Provide a step-by-step guide for a beginner on how to set up a personal blog website using a popular, easy-to-use, and low-cost platform. The guide should include:

• Choosing a platform (e.g., WordPress.com, Ghost)
• Registering a domain and hosting
• Designing a simple layout
• Writing and publishing your first post
• Adding a subscription option
• Launching your site to the public”

Caveat: AI isn’t perfect. It can hallucinate (make things up) or skip over security concerns. Don’t blindly follow advice. Ask questions. Get feedback. Review. Understand what you're doing.Ask someone with technical experience to review or help you assess your site.. If you can’t, many online communities can help.

Here is a list of online communities generated by ChatGPT:

 Reddit Communities

• r/Blogging: Great for feedback, tips, and beginner questions.
• r/JustStart: For people launching projects and looking for encouragement + critique.
• r/SideProject: Post your blog for constructive feedback from indie builders.
• r/Entrepreneur: Business-focused feedback including branding and monetization.

   Hacker News (Y Combinator)

• Submit a “Show HN” post if your blog has a tech or intellectual angle. You'll get blunt but insightful feedback.

  Indie Hackers

• indiehackers.com: Forums and product logs are great for posting your blog, explaining your goals, and asking for input.

Criticism

Elbert Hubbard. An American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher, said it best:

"To escape criticism—do nothing, say nothing, be nothing."

– Elbert Hubbard.

If you act, you’ll be criticized. That’s the cost of doing.

Some criticism will help you grow. Use it. But the rest? The noise, jabs, and cheap shots? File those under Not My Problem and move on.

When I heavily edited my work using ChatGPT, some readers assumed it was written entirely by AI. The ideas and message were mine, ChatGPT just cleaned up the grammar and structure. I’ve realized I need to keep more of the human edge in my work. That’s fair. I am human, after all.

Lesson #1: Keep the Human in the Loop.
Sure, AI can accelerate the process, but it can’t replace the human touch, especially when it comes to creativity. Use it as your navigator, not the captain.

Here’s what works for me:

My Editing Process

• Start with a blank page.
• Write and manually edit a few drafts.
• Use ChatGPT to clean up grammar and structure.
• Once satisfied, run it through:
  • Grammarly for style and fluency
  • Hemingway for clarity and conciseness

Lesson #2: Don’t Aim for Perfect

Perfection is a trap. No one gets it right on the first try. What matters is the habit, the effort, and the willingness to improve.

Shortcuts lead to shortcuts in quality. Don't get bogged down. Don't let fear of criticism stop you. Just do it.

Lesson #3: Get Feedback

Don’t create in a vacuum. Feedback—especially from people you trust or respect—can help you catch blind spots, refine your message, and grow faster. That said, not all feedback is created equal. Learn to filter out noise from insight. Ask for critique, not validation. The goal isn’t to please everyone—it’s to get better.

Conclusion

Launching this blog wasn’t about going viral or building an audience. It was about starting. Giving myself permission to create, to think out loud, and to experiment. Writing has become my daily reset button in a world that constantly pulls in every direction.

If you’ve read this far, maybe you're thinking about starting something too—writing, filming, painting, coding, or just breaking routine. My advice? Don’t wait for perfect. Don’t wait at all. Start.

Start with what you have. Use tools that move you forward. And protect your creative time like it’s sacred—because it is.

This blog is just a record of someone who finally stopped waiting… and started creating.

Stay nerdy. Stay bold. Stay kind.
— MindTheNerd.com