Why I Write and 5 Techniques I Use
One of the main reasons I started this blog was to improve my ability to internalize what I learn. In my journey of learning and personal development, I’ve found that writing is an incredibly powerful tool for internalizing knowledge. Very often I read a blog post, article or learn something neat and then the next day it has left my mind. Whenever I write about something I just learned I’m forced to think and reflect over it as I put down the words.
Very simplified, internalizing knowledge is the process of integrating new information into the brain so it can be easily accessed when needed.
When I write, I have to:
- Reflect on the content
- Organize my thoughts and understanding of the topic
- Naturally repeat the material
A very nice side effect of this is that I build up a catalog of the things I have learned for later review.
How I write
This is how I use writing to learn.
✍🏻 Personal yearly document. Every December I start a new Google document for the upcoming year named 2022, 2023, 2024 and so on. This is where I dump everything I want to focus on, goals, vision, favorite quotes, habits, thoughs, ideas and so on. Every year I carry over the best parts from the previous year. Mainly the goal here is continuous self improvement.
✍🏻 Journaling. Sometimes I just like to do a brain dump in the form of a journal. When I do this I write “without thinking”. I forget about grammar, structure, words and just hammer down everything that comes to mind without stopping. Often this is just a reflection of what has been going on lately. This is very useful and interesting to read later on. It is a really fun exercise that I highly recommend trying. This journal is nothing fancy but I prefer having a digital journal. For me it is a simple Google document.
✍🏻 Blogging. I just started this blog. I plan for this to be a place to write about things I learn in order to remember/internalize it. I’m probably going to write about a wide variety of topics such as self-improvement, parenting, coding, technology and lots more 🚀
✍🏻 Notes. I make notes for several reasons. The most useful one is to offload my brain, reducing cognitive load and freeing up the mind to either relax or focus on other things. This can be especially effective while lying in bed at night trying to sleep while your mind is racing and you suddenly remember 20 things you have to do. Write it down immediately and sleep well knowing that you don’t have to remember it, its in your notes. I sometimes keep a physical notebook at my desk but most of the time I use the free Obsidian app on my phone. I also use it during daytime for things I need to remember for later.
✍🏻 Summarizing videos and courses. Right after watching a video or taking a course, I try to write an extended summary of what I’ve learned. The ideas that resonate with me the most tend to stick, and putting them into my own words is extremely helpful for applying the knowledge later on.
Writing has not only helped me internalize knowledge but has also become an invaluable tool for my personal and professional growth.