On starting a blog

I recently decided to take a step back from the startup I co-founded, Edgi Learning, to take a sabbatical. I’ll write about my startup journey in more detail at some point, but perhaps the biggest reasons for my decision were to find more balance in my life and a deep desire to get to know myself better.

I’m focusing on all aspects of my life more holistically across health, money, relationships, and interests. Whatever I do next vocationally will ideally allow me to create and maintain a harmonious balance between these categories.

So where does writing fit into all this? It feels like the perfect outlet to combine the values I care about most: adventure, wisdom, and authenticity. I’m thinking of it as a public version of the journaling habit that I’ve recently picked up. I also consume a lot of content from books, podcasts, articles, videos, newsletters, you name it. At the same time, I have the urge to create as a way to help me synthesize what I’m learning and clarify my own ideas in the process.

I don’t claim to be an expert in any particular topic, but I plan to write broadly about a growing list of things that interest me, including:

• Philosophy: How can we apply the wisdom of ancient philosophy to modern life? What even is wisdom? How do the various theories of knowledge assist and impede our thinking?
• Cognitive science: How might we maximize human potential? Which mental models or frameworks can help improve cognition? What are cognitive biases?
• Technology and the future: What does it mean to be human in a world increasingly defined by technology? What will the future look like if the pace of change continues to accelerate?
• Health and fitness: How should we design our lives in a way that we’re healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally? What can we learn from the science of longevity?
• History: What lessons can we take from historical events? How do our perspectives change when we consider the entirety of human existence?
• Content summaries/reviews: What can we learn from books, podcasts, videos, etc and the people behind them?

These are all big meaty topics, which gives me anxiety about not knowing what the hell I’m doing, but also a sense of excitement about what it might lead to.