The Habit that's Changing my Life

If you are a self-improvement junkie like me, you consume lots of content. Either you read a lot of books, or you watch YouTube videos about how to improve your life. That's great! Without a solid foundation, the rest of your journey will be shaky.

However, it's very easy to consume too much content. I used to spend almost every waking hour listening to podcasts, audiobooks, or YouTube videos. Maybe you are one of them.

The problem is that you don't let your mind process all this information. And you start developing an attachment to keeping your mind busy all the time. As a consequence, you feel bored when you are not consuming content. You stop enjoying the food you eat if you are watching or listening to something else.

I get it. I used to be there until recently. Around the time I started this newsletter, I began to become very mindful of what I was consuming. I stopped listening to podcasts or audiobooks while being at the gym and eating. And I started writing—quite a lot.

The Superpower of Writing

By writing, I discovered a "superpower" we all have: our minds. I realized that I had a lot of ideas scattered through my mind but without any coherent framework. Writing helped me to put everything in order.

Think of your mind as a big room with many shelves and compartments. Writing is like putting all the stuff in your room in the right place. Also, you may realize some of your stuff doesn't add any value to you. So it's about organizing, rearranging, and cleaning your room. This process simplifies connecting different ideas since you know where everything is.

You may ask, why writing? Isn't it better to use ChatGPT to develop a better text? The point here is not to create a perfect text or a novel. The idea of writing is to put your thoughts and ideas on paper. You may think you know something. But when explaining it to someone else, you may realize you cannot articulate your ideas. I used to struggle a lot with that. I knew I had the idea, but conveying it to someone else was difficult.

No matter how good your idea is, you must communicate adequately to be helpful. That's when writing comes in.

Remember that learning is the most effective by doing (and failing). You don't learn math by reading it but by doing it. The same applies to almost every endeavor. Writing is a crucial skill for any intellectual venture.

But we are lazy and want to get the answer immediately. Especially now that we have Google (and, more recently, AI tools like ChatGPT), we have become dependent on them to get the solutions. There is nothing wrong with that, but by relying too much on them, we run the risk of losing essential skills, such as

• critical thinking

• independent thinking

• self-reliance

• speaking skills

The last one may sound odd, but as I mentioned, writing helps you "connect the dots." So that when you want to express your ideas, you have already done most of the heavy lifting.

Writing as a Self-improvement Tool

Lots of people associate writing with being a philosopher or a professional writer. You may believe you need to have specific skills to write. But everyone that knows how to write can start doing it right now. We are writing all day, either on our computers or smartphones. It's not about not knowing how to do it but using it for different purposes.

In this case, we want to use writing to improve ourselves. There are many ways we can achieve that. I will mention a couple of them to illustrate the point:

• Self-therapy by journaling: You don't have to be a teenager to start journaling. After all, we are all living our lives, some better and some worse. But no matter who you are, you are doing something during the day. You made good and bad decisions. Journaling allows you not only to track your life but also to reflect upon it. Wisdom is about learning from our mistakes and past choices to make better ones in the future. But our memories are fragile, so putting them in written form is a precious tool to guide you in your self-actualization journey.
  

• Having deep conversations through letters: This may sound old-fashioned. Yet, I find it very difficult to interact meaningfully by texting. Of course, personal conversations are the ideal way to interact with others. But sometimes, we don't have like-minded people around the corner. Luckily, we have the internet! And some websites and apps allow us to recreate the experience of sending letters. By having "penpals," you can take your time and craft a long, profound letter where you can share your opinions and feelings about any topic. Also, by sharing ideas with others, you will have the chance to question your worldviews. Those are fabulous opportunities for personal growth.
  

• Contemplation and writing: This is my favorite one. Probably also for anyone who is intellectually and philosophically inclined. You start by asking yourself a question. For example, "What is the meaning of life?" Then, you begin developing answers by yourself based on your personal experiences. It's not about speculating or theorizing but grounding yourself in your direct experience. The last point is what makes contemplations worthwhile. Of course, you don't have to contemplate about deep, philosophical issues, but also about more "mundane" stuff. The core of my writing in the newsletter comes from asking myself questions about the topics I want to discuss each week. This process helps me to clarify the ideas outlining the key points. After that, writing becomes almost automatic.

Start Writing Today

You may object by saying that you don't like to write or that you don't have anything to write about. I already addressed the second point in the last section. You can start writing today about how your day was. It doesn't have to be poetic or philosophical. Use plain language.

If you think you don't like to write, it's because you don't do it enough. Or maybe you had the experience of writing essays about shit you don't give a fuck. That's completely understandable. But I bet you could write pages about your hobbies, family, or loved ones. That's the critical point: writing about your interests. Pick any topic you love and summarize why you are passionate about it.

Remember that our minds are lazy, and you will experience resistance. I also sometimes experience resistance to writing. For example, before I started writing this newsletter. But as soon as I begin, the "inspiration" starts to take off, and then I have to stop myself from writing too much.

Let me give some points to kick off your writing based on our discussion today:

• As always, start small, but today. Don't overthink it. Five minutes a day can be enough to start. Ideally, do it in the morning so you don't have excuses in the evening.

• The easiest way to start is by journaling. Write about your day. Was something remarkable during the day? Some situations where you got angry or annoyed? Did you have a positive experience? You can write in a diary or focus on one aspect of the day. Keep it simple
  

• Find penpals. Free apps like Slowly recreate the experience of sending and receiving letters. They also take time to deliver, so you must be mindful about your writing. You can also find friends this way, a nice bonus.

• Get more clarity by contemplating. You can contemplate and write about your personal life and aspects you want to change. For example, you may reflect on your life purpose. What do you want to do with your life? Or you may contemplate limiting beliefs that are setting you back in life. Or you can ponder about situations that are occurring in the world. Usually, the problems are more nuanced than they appear to be. For example, about the benefits and dangers of AI. Or about current international conflicts. There are endless possibilities.

Trust me. Writing has transformed my life for the better. It's so simple yet incredibly powerful. Remember: personal development is about the embodiment of the principles. Too much content can become harmful. Your mind will be in fantasyland while your life won't evolve. Writing is an excellent way to put all the ideas from books and videos into a coherent framework you can implement in your life.

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