A new chapter to my blog

If you had asked me a year ago whether I’d ever have my own blog, I would’ve laughed and said, I wish—but not likely! I never thought of myself as “good at writing,” so the idea of keeping a blog felt like an impossible dream.

But here we are—one year later.

My friend Fabio once joked that everyone develops some unexpected hobbies during thesis writing (probably as a side effect of stress). For me, blogging turned out to be exactly that: a surprising, stress-born hobby that stuck.

Back then, I was overwhelmed, and I had so many ideas buzzing around that I wanted to share—thoughts beyond just research. I wanted to remind myself (and maybe others) that I’m more than just my PhD project.

Still, I was nervous. What if I couldn’t write well? What if nobody liked it? More importantly, I didn’t want blogging to feel like a burden. So I gave myself permission to treat it as an experiment, not a performance. No pressure, no audience—just a little corner of the internet where I could try things out.

At first, I aimed for one post every two weeks. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed it. In fact, hitting “publish” on my very first post felt oddly thrilling—even though I wasn’t sure if anyone would ever read it.

Fast forward: I’ve now written 20 posts. Sure, I slipped here and there, but I’ve been proud of my consistency. Along the way, I’ve figured out a workflow that mixes AI tools (thanks, ChatGPT!) with my own voice, and I’ve become more comfortable with writing in general.

And now, a new chapter begins. I’ve finished my PhD, and my blog needs to evolve too. It’s no longer just an experiment. My new goal is to improve my writing, focus on quality, and slowly build a clearer “voice” for myself. I’d also like to think about what kind of content readers might actually enjoy—because maybe, just maybe, it’s time to share this blog more publicly. (Still working up the courage on that part!)

I’ve also given the blog a fresh name. Goodbye “Thoughts from a PhD Desk”—hello “Notes on Research, Teaching, and Life”.

That said, I’ve noticed a new challenge: choosing what to write about. My mind tends to jump between ideas, and sometimes I get stuck. So, I’m trying a new approach:

• Slower schedule: Instead of posting every two weeks, I’ll publish once every four weeks. More time, less pressure.
• More focus: I want to organize posts around themes that can grow into larger projects. For example, I want to try a recurring series called “Data Science in the Wild”, where I explore real-world datasets.

So here’s to keeping at it. I’m genuinely proud that I’ve made it this far with blogging, and I’m excited (and a little nervous) about what comes next.

And if you’re reading this—well, yay! That means my blog has actually gone public. Congrats to me for taking that leap, and thanks to you for being here.