Let’s start with a confession. I wrote this on my phone. Later, I might edit it on a decade-old desktop computer in the corner of my bedroom. For years, I bought into the idea that to be a “serious” blogger, I needed the perfect tool: a sleek, portable laptop. I believed it was as essential as a pen to a writer. I was wrong. For most of us starting out, a laptop isn’t a necessary tool. It’s an extra expense, and often, a distraction.
The narrative is everywhere. Glossy ads show inspired creators typing away in coffee shops, their thin laptops gleaming. Blogging courses often list a “good computer” as step one. It creates a silent barrier to entry, a feeling that you can’t begin until you’ve invested hundreds of dollars into hardware. But here’s the truth they rarely mention: blogging, at its core, is about words and ideas. These are born in your mind, not manufactured by a specific processor.
Think about what you truly need to start. You need to write. You can do that in a notes app on your phone while commuting, or in a free word processor on a library computer. You need to publish. Any modern content management system, like the one your blog likely runs on, is designed to work on any web browser, even on a tablet or a shared family PC. You need to engage. Reading other blogs, replying to comments, and managing social media are all tasks perfectly handled by the devices you already own and carry in your pocket.
The pursuit of the “right” laptop often becomes a form of procrastination disguised as preparation. We research specs, compare models, and wait for a sale, all while the blog post ideas pile up in our heads, untyped. We tell ourselves we’ll truly begin once we have the machine. This delay costs us more than money; it costs us momentum, ideas, and the invaluable experience of simply starting.
There’s also the subtle pressure of portability. The promise that you’ll blog from the beach or the mountaintop is alluring but, for most, unrealistic. Consistent blogging usually happens in the same familiar spots: at a desk, on a couch, at a kitchen table. For these places, a desktop computer—often cheaper for the same power—or even a borrowed device, works just as well, if not better. The dream of blogging everywhere can ironically prevent us from blogging anywhere, right now.
This isn’t a rant against laptops. They are wonderful, convenient tools. But they are just that: tools, not prerequisites. The necessary tool is your voice. The crucial investment is your time and thought. The foundational platform is the one you can access, not the one you dream of accessing.
If you’re waiting to buy a laptop to launch your blog, I urge you to stop waiting. Use what you have. Write with what’s already in front of you. The barrier between you and your audience isn’t a missing piece of hardware. It’s a blank screen. And you already have something—right in your hand or in your home—that can fill it. The world needs your words, not your warranty. Start where you are, with what you have. The rest is just extra.
