100 Days of Content: Day 1

100 Days of Content: Day 1

I've spent almost 10 years working behind the scenes at startups. Marketing, ops, content, community. Always building for someone else's brand. Always in the background. I loved it. I learned a ton. But somewhere along the way I realized I'd never actually put my own name on anything. So here it is. 100 days of daily content. Starting today. Who I Am I'm Taylor. I work in community and content at an AI startup in Oakland. I've helped build go-to-market engines, launch products, write campaigns, and grow communities for other people's companies for almost a decade. Now I want to build something for myself. Not quitting my job. Not launching a startup. Just finally doing the thing I've told other founders to do a hundred times: show up, post consistently, share what you're learning, and see what happens. Why Now I know how this goes. Day 1 is exciting. Day 14 is going to feel pointless. Somewhere around day 40 I'll want to quit. And if I push past day 60, it'll probably become something I can't stop. The plan is simple. One post a day. What I'm building. What I'm learning. What I got wrong. Real observations from working in AI and B2B SaaS every day. No polish. No content strategy designed by committee. Just a guy who's been behind the curtain for a decade finally stepping in front of it. The Bet The hardest part isn't writing. It's publishing when it's not perfect. I'm betting 100 imperfect posts will teach me more than zero perfect ones. Let's see what happens. Day 1. Done.

Getting Started with Next.js

Getting Started with Next.js

Next.js has become one of the most popular frameworks for building React applications. In this post, I'll share my experience getting started with it and some tips for beginners. Why Next.js? When I first started learning React, I was overwhelmed by the number of decisions I had to make: routing, server-side rendering, code splitting, and more. Next.js simplifies all of this by providing sensible defaults while still being highly customizable. Key Features I Love File-based Routing: Instead of configuring routes manually, you just create files in the app directory. It feels intuitive and reduces boilerplate significantly. Server Components: Next.js 13+ introduced React Server Components, which allow you to render components on the server and send only the HTML to the client. This improves performance and reduces bundle size. Built-in Optimizations: Image optimization, font loading, and code splitting are all handled automatically. You get a fast site without much effort. Getting Started To create a new Next.js project, run: npx create-next-app@latest my-appThis will set up everything you need to start building. The project structure is clean and easy to navigate. Final Thoughts If you're building a new React project, I highly recommend giving Next.js a try. The developer experience is excellent, and the framework continues to improve with each release.

Why I Started Writing Online

Why I Started Writing Online

I've been thinking about starting a blog for years. There was always a reason to delay: not enough time, nothing interesting to say, fear of putting my thoughts out there for anyone to criticize. The Turning Point What finally pushed me to start was realizing that I was already writing, just not publishing. I had notes scattered across apps, half-finished drafts in various folders, and countless ideas that never went anywhere. The act of publishing forces you to think more clearly. You can't hide behind vague thoughts when you know someone might actually read what you write. What I've Learned So Far Writing clarifies thinking. The process of putting ideas into words reveals gaps in your understanding. It's uncomfortable but valuable. Consistency matters more than perfection. I'd rather publish something imperfect regularly than wait for the perfect post that never comes. The audience is smaller than you think. Most blog posts won't reach many people, and that's actually liberating. You can write honestly without worrying about going viral. Moving Forward I don't have grand goals for this blog. I want to share what I'm learning, document my thoughts, and maybe connect with a few people who find these ideas useful. If you've been thinking about starting to write online, I'd encourage you to just begin. The first post doesn't have to be perfect. Mine certainly isn't.

A Simple Productivity System

A Simple Productivity System

I've tried every productivity system imaginable: GTD, Bullet Journaling, Pomodoro, various apps and tools. Most of them worked for a while before I abandoned them for something new. The Problem with Complex Systems The issue with elaborate productivity systems is that maintaining the system becomes work in itself. You spend more time organizing tasks than actually completing them. What Works for Me Now After years of experimentation, I've settled on something simple: One list, updated daily. Each morning, I write down the three most important things I need to accomplish. Not ten things, not five, three. Time blocking for deep work. I protect 2-3 hours each morning for focused work. No meetings, no email, no distractions. Weekly review. Every Sunday, I spend 30 minutes reviewing the past week and planning the next one. This prevents tasks from falling through the cracks. Tools I UseA plain text file for daily tasks Calendar for time blocking A simple notes app for longer-term planningThat's it. No fancy apps, no complex workflows. The Real Secret The productivity system you'll stick with is the one that requires the least friction. Find the minimum viable system that works for you, and resist the urge to add complexity. What matters isn't the system, it's whether you're making progress on work that matters to you.