This is a note to myself that I wish I was reminded of sooner.
Ironically, it is really hard for me to communicate just how much I believe in the “power of words.” I would go as far to say that becoming an effective communicator is a skill that everyone would reap benefits from.
Writing words is just one means of talking about your ideas. I believe, and have been consistently validated across a wide variety of personal and professional experiences, that becoming a strong writer is one of the highest leverage things any individual can do for himself/herself.
I think it is “unsexy” to practice writing. I do not want to be an author or professional writer.
Though, that does not mean I should never write.
I think, what took me a long time to understand, is that writing is not just a tool, rather, it is a vehicle for accomplishing things.
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.
My Post
Writing is relaxing.
I think one of the biggest auxiliary benefits of writing every single day has been how at peace I am when I am writing.
My Post
I can think of few other places in time, other than writing, where I am wholly and completely absorbed in what I am doing. I am fully present. I am not checking my phone or browsing twitter.
Writing is learning.
There are so many auxiliary benefits to becoming a strong writer – a strong communicator – I just wish someone helped me recognize these sooner.
What is hard to see is that even though you want to do x profession (software engineer, marketer, salesperson, etc.) – writing will be a fundamental part of how you do your job well.
Whether you are sending an email to a customer or slacking a coworker or making an announcement – how you convey your ideas matters.
I do not think this is going away anytime soon. There will always be new technologies – new forms of media to use – but writing is the glue. Writing is how we think. It is how we learn.
Writing is our ideas breathing and showing people that they are alive.
The most under-prioritized skill: communication
Also published on Medium.