Last updated: 07 April 2022
Writing regularly(or journaling) is underappreciated. It can change how you think and live, It changed mine.
Clear writing is clear thinking. You can't for example, overthink and write at the same time, you have to focus on one thing to write about it. Giving your thoughts a physical form forces you to think clearly. Every thought is in your head, writing down it makes it real. This broadens your capacity to consider a number of ideas at the same time.
Writing is like talking to someone on paper. It helps you to identify the forces, controlling your mindset (and life). You make hundreds of tiny decisions, every day, that direct your life, and it shouldn't be on autopilot. Writing your thoughts makes the unconscious, conscious.
How much time do you spend all by yourself, thinking, like pure thinking? There is always something to accompany you. Your Twitter feed, your favorite show, your work. You are never alone. Writing regularly helps you make undistracted time for yourself. It helps you to identify your thought patterns. In our world, where everything is competing for your attention, only people who are aware of their thoughts will be able to think and make decisions for themselves.
Writing is one of the most radical things you can do without money.
Get some blank sheets of paper and a pen and start writing whatever comes to your mind. It's that easy. This is something which is easy to set up and do, but there is huge potential upside.
Switch off any distraction. Music helps me get into the flow. This is not an essay with word limits. There is no one to judge. What I am talking about have no constraints whatsoever. Write like you talk IRL. Write whatever comes to your mind, you can dump these pages later. Let the pen flow itself. Go crazy, don't need to filter your thoughts from yourself. Empty your thoughts on the paper. I mean it. Write for yourself.
One way to get started easily, is to make lists. Lists are a powerful way to categorize your thoughts, plus you get to write one thought at a time. Lists are pretty much how I write nowadays. Mix and match different ways to write until you are satisfied, I have mentioned some of my techniques below.
I made this a habit, and now I do it every day or whenever I can't think clearly. I Also do weekly reviews. Call me crazy, but I have organized every week’s brain dumps into a folder, labeled with dates and all.
If you want to learn more about making habits, Atomic habits by James Clear is the best book I have read so far.
Once in a while, you will write something worth sharing with everyone. This article itself is an example of something worth sharing, I wrote about. Writing on the internet has its own benefits. Also, don't forget, writing well is a leverage.
These resources helped me in writing well on the internet