Writing is honestly one of my favorite things to do. However, I get that it isn’t for everyone. Regardless of how much you like writing, or how much you hate it, there are a myriad of benefits you can get from it and I highly recommend you incorporate writing into your life. At least, incorporate it to some extent on a routine basis. You don’t need to become an amazing writer to start seeing the rewards of writing. As for all of those benefits that make the case for why writing is important, let’s dissect a few.
It Helps You Reflect
Life tends to pass us by without us taking the time needed to reflect, learn, and move on. Writing can essentially be a cathartic experience, depending on the subject you’re writing about, which can help you get past trials and tribulations you’ve encountered in the past. Even if there is nothing you’re struggling with at the moment, writing about something you’re confused about, or contemplating in general, can help you get the clarity you need to fully grasp it.
As a pretty good general rule of thumb: when in doubt, write it out.
It Teaches You How To Persuade And Think About Other Points Of View
First off, if you write with an intended audience, you automatically start taking that audience’s point of view into consideration. This gets you into the mindset of seeing through their eyes and walking in their shoes. I think you can guess where I’m going with this, but it translates to all aspects of life. As you get more and more accustomed to thinking about another person’s perspective, it becomes more natural to effectively empathize with others. If that sounds a little complicated, the main takeaway is simply that it helps you understand others more, because you’re consciously trying to be more aware of other people and their feelings.
Of course, that also helps you develop your skills at persuasion (especially if your main focus is to convince your audience of something). I don’t want to delve into the utility of being able to persuade others, just know that the more you think about their perspective, the more you can understand them, and you can consequently explain ideas to them in a more convincing manner. That is definitely a skill which can help you in just about every part of your life, from your career to personal relationships.
It Can Make You Money
Writing can make you some spare change on the side, but it can also make you rich (if you can reach a wide enough audience). Whether you like writing non-fiction (like articles or books), stories, or poetry for self-expression and relief, if you publish it you can potentially make money off of it. I personally don’t think that should be your only reason to write (after all, it does have other benefits that are just as important), but if you like writing enough to make it a daily habit, take a chance and try to get some of your work published.
It Can Give You A Reprieve From The Daily Hustle And Distractions
Use writing to give yourself a much needed break from all the other work and headache you have to deal with constantly. Better yet, if you like writing with pen and paper, it can give you a break from your computer and even help you get away from your desk! Regardless, try scheduling out a time where you can write, and stay away from any outside distractions (for example, mute your phone).
Overall, It Will Make Your Communication Skills Better
I alluded to this earlier, but writing certainly helps round out your other communication skills. A lot of people have never taken the time to learn how to communicate (verbally or through writing) effectively. When you take the time to write, you take the time to seriously express yourself in some specific way.
Clearly there are differences between writing a story and something like giving a speech, but there is some significant overlap. As you practice writing, you’ll be more aware of your language and your audience, and you’ll start learning how to structure your communication more effectively. The bottom line is this, learning to write better will also help you speak better too.
How To Write Daily And Consistently
Honestly, there are tons of ways you can go about writing daily (or at least consistently). You should do whatever works best for you, with however much writing you enjoy. This isn’t a chore or something to go through the motions with, you should have fun with it. With all of that being said, I have a few suggestions to help get started in a consistent routine.
Make A Commitment
First, actually take the consistency part seriously. As with most things in life, if you don’t stay consistent it can be hard to reap the rewards later on. If you already enjoy writing, commit to doing it daily, if only in short bursts. If you aren’t a fan of writing, or have very little experience, start with something like two times a week, but try to make sure they are for a decent amount of time (enough time to actually get something done).
Naturally, in order to do this you need to cut out a portion of your schedule and dedicate it solely to writing. Do your best to not let anything interfere with that time or take you away from using it to write.
Be Project-Oriented
The other tip I have for you is to start a serious project with your writing. If you have a goal in mind, it may make it easier (it does for me, at least) to keep writing consistently so that you can reach it. It also helps you view your progress in a more concrete way.
If you’re a new writer, this might not be a good idea (you may want to start small), but once you start getting more comfortable with it I highly recommend it. The project could be a book, a collection of works, or even a blog (if you decide to do that, write about anything that interests you and publish it at least once a week).
Figure Out What You Want To Write About
As I just said, write about things that interest you. It doesn’t really matter what it is. If it interests you, that will help you write more, it will help you write consistently, and it will help you write something that is a quality piece. If you are having a hard time figuring out what to write, start brainstorming random things you could write about (i.e. make a list of topics that interest you). Alternatively, just start writing and see where your subconscious leads you.
At The End Of The Day, Writing Is Important For Everyone
Write because you enjoy it, write to learn, or write to help you think. Write for whatever reason makes sense to you. I believe writing has tons of perks, and is fun, so I wrote this article for you. However, at the end of the day, you should write for your own reasons (perhaps one or more of which is listed in this article), whatever they may be.
Conclusion
That’s really all you need to know to get started writing and practicing as much as possible. As you write, I encourage you to tackle larger and more difficult tasks, but for now just start, and stay consistent. Of course, reading is also important for growth, so I recommend you do that too.
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