6 Major Benefits of Starting a (Very Small) Writing Habit

Even If You’re Not a Writer

I dare you to fail at writing for one year to see if you could get to the end. — Eric Thomas

Writing is one of the most powerful tools on the planet.

Whether it’s 2,000 words a day or jotting a few notes-to-self, writing has been an integral tool in changing my life.

Now, as a writer, this may seem self-explanatory. But what if I told you that you didn’t need to be a writer or even creative for that matter to write?

What if you could use writing as a tool for getting what you want? What if, through writing, you could cultivate the vision for your day; your week; your year?

And you don’t have to articles, books or poems.

You can still reap the rewards of writing as a lawyer, accountant, or beautician.

The power of words is life-changing. It can alter how you think, behave, and interpret the world.

Writing has the power to remind us of who we are and our ability to become better people.

So, imagine the intentional practice of recording those words on a daily basis.

Below, I’ve listed a few reasons why should write daily — even if it’s the tiniest writing habit in the world.

1. Write to know what you think

You have an average of 60,000 thoughts a day. What if you wrote a few of them down for one minute?

Stream of consciousness, free-writing is an excellent way to do this. Or what Julia Cameron calls ‘Morning Pages.’

But the idea is to write your thoughts uninterrupted.

Many of us experience mental blocks because we haven’t fleshed out our emotions. Whether it’s life events and past experiences, many of us have buried trauma.

What if instead of remaining angry, you wrote?

What if instead of feeling sad or afraid, you had a medium of expression?

Writing can give us that necessary outlet.

2. Write to become more intentional about life (and improve your memory)

Every morning, you can use your journal to prime yourself into the person you need to be — that day, and every day — in order to make your dreams a reality. You do this by writing your goals and dreams down in the affirmative every single day. You then write down all the ideas, thoughts, plans, and strategies that come to your mind about what you need to do in order to achieve those goals. You write down the distractions you need to remove from your life that are stopping you from getting where you need to go. — Benjamin Hardy

Every year, by mid-February, most people get amnesia.

They’ve completely forgotten their new year’s goals.

Why?

People forget, paper remembers.

If you don’t write down your goals, how will they stay top of mind?

Writing things down is not a passive approach to life. It’s a very intentional and proactive way to reach your goals and dreams. This is about reminding yourself of who you want to become.

How different would your life look if you wrote down your dreams daily?

3. Write to reflect on your evolution

Many of us find it difficult to become students of our own lives. We have difficulty studying our habits, thoughts, and behaviors.

What’s more, we don’t see our own changes — positive or negative.

With technology, we have Facebook to remind us of old statuses and thoughts we once had. But imagine going back exactly one year to see what you wrote.

Imagine witnessing your growth from January to today. I bet your thoughts and feelings have changed.

4. Write to kill perfectionism

Perfectionism is a disease. Many of us are riddled with the fear of making mistakes. We’re worried about messing up, saying the wrong thing, and appearing stupid.

Writing invites you to bring your entire messy self (if so choose to). Also, when we step into writing uninhibited, we allow ourselves to accept our own flaws.

5. Write to improve your mental health

According to studies, writing helps reduce anxiety, stress, and negative emotions. Sounds like a medicine all 8 billion of us need right now.

Writing daily will also provide positive reinforcement and improve your self-image.

That’s a win-win.

6. To become a better writer

It goes without saying, but writing more will make you a better writer. But you’ll be surprised how much quicker it happens than you think.

Small progress is still progress.

Also, nowadays, even as a non-writer, you won’t escape having to write. From emails, note-taking, or social media, writing is an essential skill. It will catapult your career and life.

By writing daily, you give yourself the opportunity to become a better writer and human being. That is if you’re using the tool with intention.

So, if you gave yourself one year to build a (tiny) writing habit, could you make it until the end?

OK, we know the answer. Now, all that’s left to do is start.