I like Markdown.
It’s easy to write, easy to read, easy to interpret - should you wish to transform it with code.
It’s weird how much I like it. I find myself writing to write stuff in Markdown, for no specific reason other than wanting to use it.
Markdown is a good example of what technology can be, or rather, should be. It gets the job done, and it’s dead easy to understand.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
There are many things that Markdown cannot do.
For example, aligning text or changing colours - which are basic features that a rich format text editor would provide. Some people have even created their own flavour of Markdown, implementing the features they think are missing.
I am a big fan of limitations as a boost for creativity. This is something I have come across in other disciplines, like making music, or videos. For example, artists like Marc Rebillet or Casey Neistat are able to produce so much stuff, thanks to a simple set of limitations (I see them more like a toolbox, or a framework - I talked about this in a previous video I made).
I like the simplicity of Markdown because when I am trying to do something it cannot support, it forces me to think: do I really need to do this that way? Or do I just want to?
Would my content actually benefit from that extra thing, and if so, how? Could I do it without that feature, and how would it affect my content?
I could find a way to hack that feature in, but the cost of doing that would be pretty clear: adding complexity in the writing process, but also making it harder to read.
Is it worth it?
I think that most of the time, it isn’t worth it.
And I think that’s a good lesson.
Why would I be adding complexity everywhere, when it is only needed for 20% of the cases? I think it’s okay to build something a bit more complex for the edge cases, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of everything else. If it makes everything else complicated to read or edit, then I am not gaining much.
All the time I save by making 80% of my “code” easy to navigate, I could invest into solving problems that are specific to me and what I do. Things that give me an edge, or things that I enjoy.
Keeping things simple is hard
This takes discipline.
This means calling myself out when I am trying to be too clever.
This means resisting the urge to make something just because “it could be useful, one day”.
It makes me think of this drawer in my flat where I keep all the random stuff that I am “keeping just in case”.
How often do I actually need what’s in there? And what is the average time I spend trying to find something in that mess? Far too much.
Imagine if I kept my keys in that drawer. How much time would I spend looking for them, every single day?
Make the stuff you need all the time easy to find and easy to use. It’s okay if the “once in a blue moon” stuff is a bit more complicated, as long as you are exposed to it only occasionally.
YOLO. I don’t have time for this. Keep it simple.
Addendum: an example of Markdown
Here’s the previous paragraph, written in Markdown (following this basic syntax guide):
## Keeping things simple is hard
This takes discipline.
This means calling myself out when I am trying to be too clever.
This means resisting the urge to make something just because "it could be useful, one day".
It makes me think of this drawer in my flat, where I keep all the random stuff that "I might need one day".
How often do I actually need what's in there? And what is the average time I spend trying to find something in that mess? **Far too much**.
Imagine if I kept my keys in that drawer. How much time would I spend looking for them, every single day?
**Make the stuff you need all the time easy to find and easy to use**. It's okay if the "once in a blue moon" stuff is a bit more complicated, *as long as you are exposed to it only occasionally*.
YOLO. I don't have time for this. *Keep it simple*.