The One to Better Blog
Don't Overthink The Simple Stuff
Hi everyone,
Welcome to this issue of One to Better, a newsletter about building ideas and finishing what you start through consistent daily habits.
This issue I wanted to talk about the new One to Better blog and how this seemingly easy project threw me into a creative wall.
The Idea
When I started the One to Better newsletter, my main goal was to share what I was building with no-code tools. Along the way, I realized I wanted to share more, but I was unsure what was the right fit for the newsletter. I wanted more flexibility.
Curating and writing content for a blog is hard. I know. I’ve started a couple of blogs over the years. They never did that well because I failed to stay consistent with the content. It wasn’t for lack of interest. I simply ran out of things to write about.
Now that I’m involved in the nocode community and part of the first cohort of LaunchMBA.co, I’m once again excited about technology, more specifically, what I think is the future of technology. No-code and the emerging technology and services around it are exciting, even though the term no code can be polarizing.
The rise of no-code tools is an inflection point in citizen development. The many, rather than the few, will create the digital verse of the future.
In my welcome blog post, I talk about how my views of coding skills have changed. I no longer see coding skills in the same light as I once did. The rise of no-code tools is an inflection point in citizen development. The many, rather than the few, will create the digital verse of the future. A blog is perfect to talk about this new digital verse.
Hitting The Wall
I selected ghost to build and publish my blog. Ghost is fast and has all the integrations I need, including the ability to takeover my newsletter that is currently hosted here on substack. For now, I plan to leave it on substack, but at some point, I plan to move it to ghost.
Choosing the platform was the easy part. The challenge for me is that a blog changes the structure and direction of One to Better. It feels bigger and more capable, and as a result, I started rethinking where I wanted to go with the One to Better idea. Thinking about the direction of a new project is not a bad thing. The challenge is where this thinking can take you sometimes. In my case, it took me down a destructive, time-wasting path of imposter syndrome and questioning why I’m really doing what I’m doing.
This became a huge distraction as I attempted to brainstorm on what One to Better “should really be”. I lost sight of the simple reason I started, to share what I’m thinking, reading, and building with the nocode community. Can it be more? Yes, it can, but it doesn’t have to be. The idea can always grow, but I got caught up in doing all the growth thinking upfront before I even started. As a result, I got stuck in a thinking loop.
I was seriously overthinking everything. I forgot the whole reason for building and sharing in public is to grow. It’s that simple.
Then, as I was editing the welcome post, I started questioning how much I should open up about my own struggles. I realize no one is perfect, but it’s still hard to callout your personal weaknesses in public, but writing about my challenges is a huge part of growing.
The very idea of One to Better came from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits where he talks about growing 1% each day, and the “Power of Tiny Gains”.
Lessons
Don’t overthink it. Go with your gut and launch. Perceived weaknesses are growth opportunities.
OTB Find Of The Week
This week’s find of the week is NotePlan 3, a calendar-driven note and task app. It’s similar to Agenda but slightly easier to understand and use IMHO.
🎁 Quote I’m Thinking About
I’m currently reading the book Future Smart, by James Canton. I’m an optimist when it comes to the future. I believe human beings, even as self-destructive as we are, will find a way to make the world a better place. It’s important, however, that we all take an active part in building the future, for it will be for better or worse, exactly what we make it.
You’re either managing the future, or the future is managing you. –James Canton
That’s all for this week. Hope this issue was helpful. Thank you for subscribing and following. If you like the newsletter, please share it. Also, please visit onetobetter.com and let me know what you think.