There is this myth floating around for centuries that writing is about your language proficiency and putting together words in a beautiful sequence. As a student of cognitive science, I look at language the way our brain understands it. Writing is more about your thinking styles and less about language ability. Yes language is needed. It is a tool. Like pen or a paper, language is also a tool.
The core of writing is formation of thoughts and the underlying cognition. This is what writing does to our brains. Because thinking is an energy intensive task, our brain resists the act of thinking. Think about it from our brain's perspective: Our brain's sole job is to NOT THINK. It is counter intuitive and that is exactly what we must know. To stop thinking your brain will do everything possible to you. You will also succumb and start giving several excuses for not being able to go past that difficulty posed by our brains.
If you look closely, design is a thinking job and writing is a thinking tool. As a designer I use writing extensively to solve problems. It is the nature of my job that I am often pushed into ambiguity and I am expected to thrive and come out with flying colors and provide clarity to the rest of the people in the room. That is how innovation and creativity works. We need to travel out of the box and come back into the box and tell folks what can be done out of the box and what cannot be.
I wish we always have people who went out of the box before us or at-least with us and tell us what to expect, what not to, what are the pitfalls, what are the patterns etc. We typically do not have anyone like that to guide. We need to have an inner compass that guides us at all times. Thinking is a lonely job. That is why when we brainstorm with good thinkers who go past that brain resistance we have an amazing output. It is a bonus when we can brainstorm with another healthy brain. When that is not the case, what we do? That is when writing comes in. It helps you with solo collaboration in the thinking process. A friend of mine calls it cutely as SOLLABORATION!
Writing is your ally. It helps you think in sollaboration mode. That is why you must write. Not every written piece is for others to consume. Sometimes you write so that you can ease your cognitive overload, get unstuck, remove thought clogs and free up some space in your working memory. This is why you feel better when you have a to do list or a journal or notes to self etc. If you understand neuroscience you will look at every act of life differently and you will be grateful for having this magnificent machine called human body.
Write so that you have a healthy brain. If you wait for your brain to spit out words in sequence, you will be in chicken egg situation. To me writing is self care as I care about my cognitive overload that I create for my brain. It is a beautiful dance and all we need is a beautiful balance. Don't say you are writing anymore. Say you are easing cognitive overload for yourself and for others.
Good luck with easing cognitive overload!
