It's January 6th, and I'm already seeing the posts:
"2025 is my year to start a blog." "This is the year I finally document my journey." "New year, new blog, new me."
I love the optimism. I also know that most of these blogs won't exist in three months.
Not because people lack ideas. Not because they aren't good writers. They fail because they choose the wrong starting point.
Why January is Actually Perfect
January hits different. It's the one time of year when everyone collectively agrees to try something new. Your friends are starting projects. The whole internet is in "reset mode."
This is your moment. Not because of some magical calendar date, but because you have company. Starting is harder alone.
But here's the secret: starting is only the first step. Staying consistent is the hard part.
And consistency doesn't come from willpower. It comes from removing friction.
The Platform Mistake
Here's what most new bloggers do:
- Find a fancy blogging platform (Medium, Ghost, Substack)
- Spend 3 hours setting up the theme
- Write one post
- Never return
Why? Because they're waiting for the platform to feel perfect. Custom domain? Better theme? More analytics?
The platform doesn't matter. What matters is showing up.
But here's the thing: most platforms add friction. They want to sell you features you don't need. They want you to optimize your layout. They want you to set up email subscriptions.
You just want to write.
The "Just Start" Philosophy
In January 2022, I started a microblog called Micromusings. No fancy design. No optimization. Just a simple HTML page that showed my thoughts.
Over three years, I published 1,200+ posts. Some days I wrote three sentences. Some days I wrote 300 words. It didn't matter.
The lack of complexity was a feature, not a bug.
When you remove decisions, you remove excuses.
No time to figure out the theme? Good, there's only one theme. No way to customize the header? Good, stop thinking about the header and write. No built-in email list? Good, you don't need one yet.
Constraints are freedom.
The Goals You Should Actually Set
Most people's January resolutions sound like this:
- "I want to publish 4 posts per month"
- "I want to reach 1,000 subscribers"
- "I want my blog to go viral"
These are fine. But they're not the real goals.
The real goal is simpler: Show up consistently.
If you write one post a month, you'll have 12 posts by December. That's a real thing you created. That matters.
If you write one post every other week, you'll have 26 posts. That's a voice. That's a reputation.
The math is simple. The execution is hard.
Common Mistakes I See Every January
Mistake #1: Overthinking the first post
It doesn't have to be perfect. It has to exist.
Your first post is going to be awkward. That's the only guarantee. Write it anyway. The second post will be slightly less awkward. The 200th post will be genuinely good.
Mistake #2: Choosing a platform that's too complicated
If you're spending more time learning the platform than writing, you chose wrong.
Mistake #3: Waiting for the "right moment"
There is no right moment. January 6th is as good as January 1st. February is as good as January.
Mistake #4: Trying to be someone you're not
You don't need to be a productivity guru or a tech influencer. Write about what you know. Write about what you're thinking about. That's enough.
Mistake #5: Stopping after one month
By February, half of January's bloggers have disappeared. The ones who stick around are the ones who didn't treat it like a resolution.
They treated it like a habit.
How Jottings Makes Fresh Starts Easy
I built Jottings because I wanted something simple.
No configuration. No theme selection. No feature bloat.
When you sign up, you get a clean, minimal site. You write. Your words appear. That's it.
- Your site is static HTML (it will outlive any trends)
- You own all your content (export anytime)
- Your platform doesn't dictate how you write (no algorithmic favoritism)
- Your focus stays on the writing, not the platform
You can start today. In five minutes, you'll have a published post.
Then you just have to show up tomorrow. And the day after that.
Your Move
January is almost over. Perfect timing, actually.
Everyone who was going to start has probably started. The people who will stick around? They're the ones who skip the resolution momentum and just... write.
If you want to join them, you already know where to go.
Start small. Write consistently. Keep it simple. And for the love of all that's holy, don't overthink the theme.
Your blog doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to exist.
Ready to start? Create your site in minutes at Jottings. No credit card. No setup fees. Just your thoughts, published.