The internet is a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom for indie makers, as long as you spend your energy in the right places.
I find that I gain the most value (and feel the best mentally) when I minimize my intake of knee-jerk, short-form content and focus on high-quality, long-form channels.
Maker blogs are, in my opinion, some of the best places to hang out and gather insights on the web. A good maker blog can encompass entire career trajectories, life philosophies and fountains of wisdom within the depths of its posts.
Here are three seasoned makers who have cultivated timeless blogs that span the course of decades and explore indie business, philosophy, lifestyle and more.
1) Tim Ferris
Tim is a writer, investor, podcaster and OG blogger, among many other things.
Tim has been building in public and living the indie life way before it was cool. I remember being fascinated by his ponderings on lifestyle design, biohacking and internet business when I first discovered his work over ten years ago back in my college days.
Tim's blog has been active for over a decade and contains north of 1,000 articles. The best place to start as a newcomer is the New? Start Here page, where Tim highlights some of his top posts by category.
One of my favorite articles and a tim.blog classic is 11 Reasons Not to Become Famous (or “A Few Lessons Learned Since 2007”). Like much of Tim's writing, it tells a compelling and highly entertaining story, touches upon sensitive subject matter and sprinkles in nuggets of wisdom, parables and humor throughout.
I have a lot of respect for Tim as a maker, man and human being. Amidst his massive success in business and life, he makes a concerted effort to share the dark aspects of his personal journey, including experiences with childhood abuse and suicide, in hopes of breaking taboos and helping others.
I look forward to reading more of Tim's work and re-visiting his blog whenever I need to zoom out, check in with myself or take a long sip from a steaming hot cup of wisdom.
Justin is a maker, podcaster and co-founder of Transistor.fm, a podcast hosting SaaS business.
I only recently discovered Justin's blog earlier this year, but it has quickly become one of my go-tos. He has compiled an impressive archive of over 300 articles, with his first post dating all the way back to August 13th, 2008 (my 18th birthday 😄).
Justin writes at the intersection of SaaS, bootstrapping, lifestyle, mental models and business ethics. His articles are thoughtful, practical and easy to digest.
The 80% energy principle is one of my favorites and touches upon a recurring theme in Justin's writing: seeking healthy margins in both business and life.
How do I build something people want? is another fantastic read and would serve anyone trying to find strong product ideas or launch a successful business well.
I've only hit the tip of the iceberg with Justin's blog and will continue to sift through his sea of ideas and experiences as I build and bootstrap my own projects.
Pieter is an indiepreneur, digital nomad and serial founder of many projects and businesses.
Simply put, Levels is built different. He ships new projects and features at warp speed, lives at the forefront of emerging trends like remote work and async, and fortunately for us all, documents the journey in detail as he goes.
I discovered Levels through Twitter earlier this year and was happy to stumble upon his blog, which dates back to 2011 and rings in at 243 posts and counting.
Pieter's blog posts reflect his eclectic and far reaching interests, which he has managed to meld together into an ever-accelerating flywheel that serves as the launching pad and foundation of his business endeavors and success.
I'm Launching 12 Startups in 12 Months is a Levels classic and gives a good glimpse into his strategies of starting small, launching fast and iterating often.
Reset your life is a great early post that touches on mental health, breaking comfort zones and minimalist living, the soul-centric themes that weave throughout Pieter's journey and writings.
I will surely be revisiting Pieter's idea-rich blog for years to come and look forward to his continued evolution as a maker, writer and entrepreneur.