Why You Should Write Every Day

I’ve been writing 1000 words every day for about 10 years now, and I’m still not always sure what I’m doing. Arguably, most of that output is terrible. Some days I manage maybe two hundred words before I run out of things to say and end up describing what I had for breakfast.

But those three years have changed how my brain works more than any other single habit, routine or belief in my life.

My daily writing is usually mundane. I’ll work through why I’m annoyed about something in my work or home life, or try to figure out whether I actually need to move to a new note taking app or just want to want to move note taking apps for the sake of it. The topic matters less than the act of forcing vague feelings into specific words. Once something is written down, you can look at it up close. You can ask whether it’s actually true.

You don’t need interesting material. You’re not performing for an audience. You can write about why you chose the lunch you chose, or what you noticed on the walk to the store, or a single, unmarked moment in a conversation that stuck with you. The point isn’t to produce great content. The point is to practice putting thoughts into words.