Writing is thinking.
I write to think. I think that thought is very counterintuitive. People tend to get confused when I tell them I write to think. It is because society tells people that what we write – blog posts, essays, books, etc. – is only to teach.
Most people write to teach. To get likes. To get views. Attention. Etc.
I sometimes write to teach, but I have realized, over the years of writing daily, that I have much less to teach and much more to learn.
So I learn by writing and compressing information in my head. I think approaching writing with the mentality of learning vs pretending to be an expert of any kind has had a transformational effect on my growth.
I start with ideas, scattered across my mind. I condense them. Streamline them. And pop out a short essay.
Each time, I am flexing the muscle. Training the muscle to conform to a new shape, a new idea, or new philosophy.
Try it some time, if you want.