You might think that writing is just an extension of thinking, but it isn’t. It’s an entirely different exercise that uses entirely different parts of the brain. That means it’s going to have different results from just thinking about things. It doesn’t end there, either. Writing forces you to think about things differently as well.
As a result, writing has a huge number of benefits for you that you otherwise will simply not get. Here we’re going to look at some of the best examples.
It Makes You Think and Deal with Emotions More Methodically
The first thing that writing does for you makes you work through ideas in a more systemic manner. Often, when you’re thinking about things you can make quick jumps from one idea to another in a train or think, or to allow your ideas to derail completely. This can lead to you making logic mistakes or thinking you’ve convincingly proved something when you’ve done nothing of the kind.
This is far less likely to happen to you when you write. For one thing, writing simply takes longer than thinking. For another, you can read it back afterward and see mistakes that you’re making in your reasoning. From there, you can then start thinking about these mistakes and find ways to either plug the holes or correct the mistakes.
In this way, you’ll become more methodical and more accurate – not just in your writing but in your thinking as well.
Flow is Good for You
Flow is that sensation you feel when you get completely absorbed by something and lose track of the world, yourself and even time. It’s very hard to achieve for most people, but when you can achieve it – even if it’s only for a moment – then that can be incredibly healthy for you.
And one of the best ways to achieve that is through writing. Particularly if you’re writing about yourself and your own ideas, then you’re far more likely to get into this space where the words just come out of you. What’s more, the more you write, the easier it becomes. This is because flow requires mastery and the more you practice something, the closer to mastery you’ll get and the greater the benefits become.
University is Writing
Sure, not everything in university is writing. At the same time, if you can write well, then university becomes a heck of a lot easier. It means you can explain your ideas more clearly and more fluently, which in turn makes your professors get what you’re trying to say and appreciate how well you say it. That’s going to impact your grades. There are no two ways about it.
And then there’s that final project. At almost every university, that will contain at least an element of writing (if writing isn’t the whole project, to begin with).
The good news? Writing of any kind will help you with all kinds of writing. Sure, your academic writing will benefit more if you write a lot of academic texts – but even if you focus on writing a personal journal or romantic poetry, your academic texts will still benefit (provided you don’t write exactly the same way for them, of course). And that will directly translate into doing better and getting better results. Maybe you’ll even become professional and someone will ask you to get academic help from you one day.
Last Words
Writing is one of those few things that is great for you in every regard – and I’m not just saying that because I’m a writer! Everywhere you go, you’ll be asked to write reports, emails, texts or discuss personal experiences. And so, it will pay off immensely if you spend some time with the written word. What’s more, if those words you write are about personal problems, then you’ll help yourself out as well. That’s a double win.
So stop reading what I’ve written, grab a pen and start writing your own words.
Oh yes, and one more piece of advice. Don’t care too much about what you produce initially. Writing is a skill. You need to practice to become a more engaging writer. So in the beginning, what comes out might be a little disappointing. Don’t let that discourage you. Keep at it. You’ll get better. And sooner or later, you will write something magical. Just don’t give up.
