Creating a Blog Is a Pain

But here I am. Because despite the chaos, the code I don’t understand, the errors that appear out of nowhere, and the constant anxiety of “this is never going to work,” creating a blog starts to be worth it. And then I thought: well, if I suffered, others shouldn’t have to (as much).

So here are 5 things I wish I’d known before starting this beautiful and frustrating process. And beware, even if I’d known these, I’d probably still be lazy. But here we go:

1. Managing frustration is as important as design

Spoiler: nothing works the first time. Nothing. You’ll install a plugin that promises to be “super simple” and it won’t show up. You’ll want to change the color of a button, and it will end up changing half the template. You’ll do a backup that will go to hell. Take a deep breath, have a coffee, and start over. Trial and error, lots of error. And then… oh surprise! It works.

2. You’ll leave things unfinished. And that’s okay.

The anxiety of not knowing how to fix something, or leaving a section half-done, is real. But you need to make peace with uncertainty. Not everything gets solved immediately. Sometimes, you need to leave it “pending” and come back with a fresh head. Answers sometimes come while sleeping or in a conversation with ChatGPT. Don’t drown in perfectionism.

3. It will always be in beta

Your blog will never be fully finished. Never. There will always be something to improve, adjust, or change. And that’s not a flaw, it’s the beauty of the process. It’s a living organism. A garden that gets watered and pruned. A work in progress. And that’s fine.

4. Don’t be afraid of code (ChatGPT has your back)

You don’t need to be a developer, but it’s a good idea to lose the fear of code. Understanding what a snippet does, knowing how to edit CSS without crashing everything, and knowing which plugin does what. And yes, you can ask ChatGPT about everything. Everything. From “What does this shortcode do?” to “How do I align this text without destroying the universe?”

5. Tinker every day

The only way to learn to use digital tools is by using them. Breaking them a little. Reinstalling them. Combining them. Every day you tinker, you learn something new. And that knowledge builds up. What takes you 3 hours today, will be a click tomorrow. But to get there, you need to play. Get your hands dirty. Build and unbuild.

There are surely more tips, but these five would’ve saved me a lot of headaches, especially managing the anxiety of not having everything under control.

Because like everything in life: you have to practice until you get the hang of it.