Writing will change your life!

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Just click play and i’ll read it to you..

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We have all been writing from a very young age. What probably started off as a fun activity and sometimes a competition to have the best handwriting, quickly turned into something that almost all students despise.

I still remember many of my friends, after spending countless hours on writing essays and research papers, proclaiming that they will never write an essay again.

Although professionals don’t have to write essays, they still end up writing quite a bit. Everything from work documents, emails, and even comments. Like the one you are going to write after reading this blog post. 😛

Now, we all know that writing is important to communicate our ideas and perform our duties at work. But how can writing change our lives?

You are going to find the answer to that question in this blog post.

How can writing change your life?

Jordan Peterson, a professor at the University of Toronto and an inspiration to millions (including me) posted an amazing talk on how writing will change your life and make you deadly in all your endeavors.

Here are a few takeaways from his video:

• Writing is formalized thinking. It helps you organize your thoughts and form opinions.
• You start by choosing a Problem Statement that genuinely interests you.
• The next thing to do is read as much as you can, to be knowledgeable about the problem at hand.
• Now you start sorting through and summarizing all that you have learned.
• Remove all the contradictions and elegantly organize the sentences into proper paragraphs, and the paragraphs into a proper sequence to form a coherent argument.
• By doing this, you are integrating your personality at the highest and most abstract level of organization.
• And finally, sharpen your tools by reading and writing every single day. 

My writing journey:

Although I have been maintaining a journal and writing in general for a while, I have only recently made a shift to be mindful of everything I write. Here are a few things that I have implemented:

Emails: We all know how important emails are, and they generally tend to consume a lot of our time.

• Bullet points:
  • I feel that almost all emails can be broken down into simple bullet points.
  • Single line statements, highlighting the keywords I would like to convey.
• Supporting statements:
  • Once all the points are properly organized and laid out, I add supporting statements for some points that need a little more explaining.
• Delete misleading points:
  • For the emails that cannot be represented using bullet points, I write down simple and short paragraphs.
  • I try conveying my message by using the least number of words possible.
  • I then go through the entire email and delete unwanted points that repeat, dilute, or contradict each other.

By doing this, I am not only saving the readers time, but I am also ensuring that my message is clearly conveyed.  

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Meetings notes: I generally use OneNote to actively listen and take down key discussion points.   Actionable/follow up points will be documented in a table, along with the POC and a date associated with it.

Following this helps me remain active and not passively listen.  

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Journaling: I have been journaling for about a year now. But to be honest, I haven’t been super consistent with it.

I carry a fountain pen and a journal everywhere I go (I know, a bit old school) It helps me reflect on my thoughts and also functions as my second brain. All my thoughts and notes end up here for safekeeping. I do re-visit them once in a while.  

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Book summary: I have been reading quite a bit ever since I got my first Kindle.

These are a few things that I try to follow when I read non-fiction books:

• Takedown notes while I read books that interest me.
• Sort out the key points and summarize my thoughts based on my experiences.
• Write actionable points and include them in my everyday life.

Starting next week, I will be posting book summaries and reviews in a similar format. Stay tuned to the blog if you are interested.

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Blog: Find topics that I’m passionate about. (like this) Learn everything I can about it in a fixed amount of time. Share it with you wonderful folks on my blog. 

 

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Conclusion

In a world dominated by electronics and an information overload, we are often left to fend for our thoughts and beliefs. In a time where everyone is trying hard to make sense of the world. A person with their thoughts in order will definitely come out victorious.

As Mr. Peterson says, it is an unbelievably practical method to formulate your thoughts, develop your character, and view the world differently.

Always remember, you are not writing to impress anyone. It might not make sense in the beginning, but being persistent with your efforts will guide you to see the clear picture. Just be honest with yourself and let the writing help you reflect, express, and compose your thoughts. This will certainly help you build a strong foundation and live a mindful life.

Go on, now! Transform your life by submitting a comment below and start your writing journey!

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