Hey, I’m Nawfel, but everybody calls me Naff. I’m starting this blog at 29 years old, while living in Sweden and becoming a dad for the first time. Today I felt the urge to start a personal blog where I will write about engineering or personal stuff. I find it hard, at least now, to pinpoint what I actually want to write about: what direction I want this blog to take, whether I am writing for a specific audience, and what I hope readers get from it.
I think that creating rules or boundaries when you want to do something is still a good practice to follow. So here is what I deliberately do not want to define yet, and what I do want to define.
Things I do not want to define
- A specific matter, topic, or subject. This is not a place where I write only about X or Y.
- How much of this blog is about engineering or personal life. My engineering mind is part of how I see the world, but my personal life shapes how I think as an engineer too.
- A publishing schedule. I do not want to publish articles just for the sake of a schedule.
- How the blog, or articles in the same domain, will evolve. For example, the blog can be a starting point for something else, like YouTube videos, teaching courses, or talks.
Things I want to define
- Prefer “honest enough to publish” over a polished article. Sometimes I want to be raw or just in exploratory mode.
- When talking about technical stuff, my claims should require evidence. I appreciate when other people support their claims. I want to do the same.
- Never use AI for drafting or polished versions of articles. It will be used as a critic and thinking partner during my writing, and as a grammar checker before publishing.
- Declare which topics or subjects I am currently focusing on. This will help you know where my attention is.