Lessons from the all-nighter to build this website

Ayushmaan Mishra

I started this because I wanted a place on the internet that was actually mine. Not a LinkedIn profile performance. Not an Instagram grid curated for strangers. A space that is as messy, and honest, as me.

What I didn't expect was how much building this thing would teach me about myself.

I avoid finishing things I care about

The idea for this website has been in the plan for 5 years now. There were multiple attempts earlier. Some saw the light of day. Some had to die an anonymous death during a slow working afternoon. Almost everytime, I found something that did not set right with the idea I had in mind.

Last night, I started the project in the dark hours of 3 AM thoughts. I pushed through the 6 AM jolt you get after you have pulled an allnighter. And by 6 PM, something was born.

2nd June 2026, 6:00 PM- isthisayush.com was out in the world.

What got me through? The thought that perfect is the enemy of good. And I am good enough.

I am very critical of myself

Every time that I built something or even attempted, the other side of head that doesn't like me very much would have list of reasons why it would not work. At around 4 AM, with a fuck it attitude, I muted every thought and just went down the rabbithole of JSX files.

The blank pages are a point

The site is live now. It has thirteen poems, nine photos, and this blog post. For about an year there were 7 blank pages under the domain and they felt like failure. Now they are a part of the plan — space I intend to fill, with things I care about.

That feels like enough for now.