| Pros: - Allows you to see your growth over time. - Gives you a "proof of work" so others can validate claims you make. - Creates higher likelihood for opportunities as people stumble upon something that resonates with them/their business. - Allows you to really hone your craft as you can "compete with yourself" by reflecting on past work and seeing what feels off now. Cons: - You can get down on yourself if you look back on something you feel is "cringe" or a poor representation of who you are today. - It's easier for people to take swings and discourage you. Backhanded compliments, outright dismissals, etc, while not common, do happen more (i.e., broader attack surface). - It's easier for things to bite you later. Something you said years before either out of frustration or jest-that no longer represents your views but you don't want to delete for posterity sake-becomes someones whole perception of who you are. - It's not uncommon for people to think they have you figured out based on your writing. This can be frustrating as you hear/read them parroting things you've written almost verbatim in an attempt to manipulate you. This one is a real edge case and rare in my experience but it's worth being aware of cluster B personality types using your writing as a weapon later. How to manage: - Be conscious of what you're writing, how it can be interpreted/misinterpreted. - Slow down. Don't "think aloud" out of frustration or anger. I've found it helps to write stuff in a silo like a text doc first and then copy/paste it once I've read it a few times (avoids really nasty flame wars). - Don't think you have to write everything down. If you build a habit around thinking in public, you can get into a trap where you feel burdened to explain everything you think/do. - Depend on your goals: ask others for feedback. I've had mixed results with this, but YMMV. |