Lifehacker is probably one of my most-read blogs that doesn't translate into many (or any, till now) posts on this site. There's definitely something seductive about wasting one's time reading other people's suggestions about how not to waste time. But now Lifehacker's founder and lead blogger is stepping down to get back to making stuff. Of course (I tell myself) finding and curating good stuff is its own form of culture making, but often it still can feel a level removed.

re: blogs, horizons of the possible, internet, time

Nate:

As the years passed, Lifehacker became my online alter ego, my professional identity, my work and my play. I happily gave up time I’d normally spend on creative side projects to the site, because it was my primary outlet for the two things I love most: software and writing. But as our staff and audience grew, the news chase intensified, and management duties piled up. I started writing and coding less and air traffic-controlling, copy-editing, budgeting, doing PR, and assigning stories to my writers more. While that all has been great experience I am lucky to have under my belt, it’s time for me to recalibrate how I’m spending my days. As someone put well, it’s time to mitigate the urgent to focus on the important.

The bottom line is this: for someone who loves making things on the web, spending 100% of the time blogging about what other people are making is simply untenable.