How did I get here?

It’s funny, thinking back on life’s experiences and how they sub-consciously shape you. I guess you could say my journey to starting a blog started with my search for a roommate before moving to NYC to start grad school. One prospective roommate I connected with preferred to communicate over long-form email. They were going to grad school in hopes of being a movie critic and had a blog reviewing each movie they watched. I was fascinated at the commitment to writing they had and courage to write something that in depth not knowing anyone would ever read it or care. This was in 2013 also, which felt like the pinnacle of the rise of social media. I never thought once about starting a blog of my own.

Now, 13 years later, here I am starting my own blog with zero expectations. The spark that led me here has stayed dormant in the background that whole time.

Over a year ago, my work transitioned into what I would call typical “knowledge work.” I am an attorney who now specializes in appeals. The time at my desk alone with my thoughts and need to self-motivate to get my work done skyrocketed. The change was also spurred by my being a new father and wanting to have the ability to work from home more and be present with family. Looking for ways to improve my focus and develop new work systems led me to read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. From there, it has been a passionate roller-coaster through all things “self help” and professional development. It has been a cycle of plan, read, implement, and repeat. I even gave a presentation on how other attorneys can implement the ideas of Atomic Habits and Peak Performance (by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness) into their practice.

Naturally, I came across Cal Newport and his extensive work on cutting through the noise and focusing at work and at home. My “a-ha” moment came from his book Digital Minimalism, and listening to who knows how many episodes of his podcast Deep Questions touching on the same subject.

This blog is my way of replacing the addictive, algorithmic social media accounts that I have with a form of “old school” social networking. No endless scrolling or any of the other designed dopamine hits from pulling the slot machine lever that is modern social media. Plus, my job boiled down is to be a writer. This blog gives me an outlet to hone my writing skill - to practice imperfectly and daily-ish.

I’m beginning to feel human again.