Write things down.
Good writing requires the writer to have distilled their thoughts and understandings to get their message across. Typically the thoughts swirling around in our heads are mudballs, that require refinement to be palatable by others. This refinement process necessitates better understanding of the topic and provides us spaced repetition which form the basis for deliberate practice (the best way for humans to learn).
Writing is –one– of the highest leverage tasks. Writing creates long living artifacts that can inspire or align an entire organization. Think of how much time and effort excellent documentation saves. The countless innovations spawned off of whitepapers. Unfortunately writing is difficult, by constantly taking small chunks of time to write and write better (self manifestation for myself) you’ll improve. You’ll learn new vocabulary to succinctly articulate what you mean and discover how to organize your writing to convey your message.
Writing invites networking and collaboration. To get feedback on a piece it requires having someone whose opinion you respect read your piece. This can be a colleague or an individual you look up to. Leading to conversations and work partnerships that would have never occurred otherwise. It’s important to be respectful of the readers time, put in more effort so that the reader can put in less effort.
Writing slows you down. In the age of context switching, writing, forces you to stare at a blank paper and struggle. Struggle to externalize your internal ideas and to keep your attention focused on a singular task. There is no instant gratification for writing, it takes time to turn that blank paper into a document you feel done with the exact skill Deep Work demands can calls for. When forced to context switch, writing enables you to catch back up to your train of thought quicker.
Writing lets you retrospect. If you feel what you are writing is pointless or unvaluable then you can reflect on how you are utilizing your highest value asset, your time. You can identify where you spend your time and where your greatness enjoyment or success comes from. It’s helpful for your career, both by strengthening your knowledge and serving as a tool for your resume or interviews.
How do you make writing things down easier? Keep your favorite text editor open throughout the day and jot down your thoughts or notes. Then on the weekend or during a focus block take those notes and figure out the underlying message you are trying to get across and write until you’ve accomplished that. Set-up a goal of posting some writing artifact and hold yourself accountable to that goal.