# From Blogs to Digital Garden > [!metadata]- Metadata > **Published:** [[2025-01-11|Jan 11, 2025]] > **Tags:** #🌐 #digital-garden #second-brain #learning-in-public ## The Journey Begins I'm staring at the empty screen, watching the cursor blink, contemplating how to start writing. [ShayonPal.com](https://shayonpal.com) has been my digital home for over a decade now, since 2009 when I could finally afford to spend some extra cash on a domain. But my online writing journey started even before that, somewhere around 2004. Why did I acquire this domain? Two simple reasons: - To host my writings on my own space - To have an email ID with my own domain While the email part seamlessly integrated into my life, the writing aspect has been more complicated. As life got busier, maintaining the enthusiasm to write for pleasure became challenging. ## Evolution of My Writing But here's the thing - I never really stopped writing. I love to write (well, type). I love documenting my ideas and thoughts. The forms have just evolved over time. What started as prose eventually expanded into poetry during my courtship days with my now-wife, [[Sakshi Chopra|Sakshi]] (and I'll admit, I might have written some poetry for another girl before her too 😛). From there, my writing evolved into outlines, mind maps, and iPad doodles. As a Product Manager, I found joy in creating wireframes to visualize ideas. Being a strong advocate of asynchronous communication, I wrote extensively through emails, Slack messages, and product requirement documents. About 3-4 years ago, I discovered the world of journaling through various podcasts and literature. As someone with [[Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder|ADHD]] (officially diagnosed in 2021), the idea of daily writing resonated deeply with me. The thought of serendipitously stumbling upon old memories was particularly appealing. I dove into [[bullet journaling]], creating colorful entries in Notability on my iPad. Later, I experimented with the renowned [Day One](https://dayoneapp.com/) app, but like many of my endeavors, these habits would eventually fade. In 2023, I discovered [[Obsidian]] and its "Daily Notes" feature. The community's approach to journaling felt perfect. I created custom templates, installed plugins to enhance the experience, and maintained consistency for about 8-10 months before the familiar pattern of abandonment repeated. Through my years with Obsidian and exploring [[Knowledge Management for the ADHD Brain|personal knowledge management systems]], I kept encountering the concept of [[Digital Gardening|digital gardening]]. When I recently decided to switch to [Obsidian Publish](https://obsidian.md/publish) for my website, I made a conscious choice: I'm going to be more intentional about writing, but with a twist. No pressure to create "articles" - just authentic thoughts, shared publicly. My only goal is to write at least once a week. One of my favorite tools for long-form writing is "[[Interesting macOS Apps#Writing & Notes|IA Writer]]". So, I've adopted the [IA Writer theme in Obsidian](https://github.com/mrowa44/obsidian-ia-writer) and enabled the [Typewriter Mode plugin](https://github.com/davisriedel/obsidian-typewriter-mode) to create that familiar, focused writing environment. Here's to new beginnings 🤞🏽