Like many people, I never really prioritized writing. It seemed too time-consuming or simply not interesting enough to fit into my daily life. But that’s starting to change. Lately, I’ve been recognizing the benefits of writing, not just in organizing my thoughts but also in enhancing both my personal and professional life.
I really want to take personal note-taking more seriously. There are so many topics that I’m personally interested in that it feels overwhelming at times. These include software development, cooking, news, public policy, history, economics, fitness, video games, personal finance, college football, and fashion just to name a few. I often find myself struck with paralysis of choice when I have a free afternoon to explore and learn because I don’t know what to focus on. I also worry about needing to reacclimate myself to the context of the topic I choose. If I write about these topics instead of holding the information in my head I can free up some mental load and have a way of referencing the information in the future. If I go on a deep dive of why some sweatshirts have that little V-shaped stitching on the collar, I can write about it. After a while, I can easily catch back up. I would have already summarized my findings and understanding in my own words. By keeping an archive of my thoughts and summarizing any work done I can more easily pick back up and progress at a later point in time.
Writing is a mechanism to encourage research. Before writing about a topic I want to be sure I have a solid understanding of that topic. I can have a vague high level understanding of a topic in my head but when challenged to explain it to someone else or to a blank page it becomes more difficult. When taking the time to write out my thoughts flaws in logic and missing context can more easily be discovered. It’s a good way to clarify my thoughts and the externalization of them makes it easier to review and revise.
As I continue to write there will be more opportunity to connect my thoughts across notes and topics. I’m not sure I quite buy into the idea of a second brain that lives within your notes but I believe there is some merit to the concept. Linking and referencing my numerous notes and posts may create new connections or understandings. If I start researching early football history and come across Benjamin Russell Jr., a football player from 1926. I could find that he was the one who invented the original sweatshirt and come to a better understanding of why that little V-shaped stitching was part of the design. This is just one example but it’s not unreasonable to think that small connections can lead to more complex understandings. This concept of connecting ideas leading to better understanding is another reason I want to write. It’s just easier to connect thoughts when they are written and organized.
As far as professional motivation goes, my job also involves a lot of writing. No one tells you that software engineers do a lot of writing but believe me it can take up a lot of your time and bandwidth. Whether it’s design documents, run books, standard operating procedures, or just technical documentation there is a lot of writing being done. As I become more senior or transition into less technical roles the amount of writing I’ll be doing will increase. Practice makes perfect or at the very least improvement. If I improve my writing even a little bit from this practice, then I think it’s well worth the effort.
The last reason for wanting to write more is the only one that isn’t 100% self serving. If I can share information or thoughts that make an impact on someone else, then I’m happy to do it. Whether it’s a technical note about some software problem I tackled or some post about a little known public policy in my city. If someone else finds it useful, insightful, or just interesting then I’m happy to share. It’s part of the reason I wanted to make this whole project out in the open.