How writing changed my life and career

How writing changed my life and careerHow writing changed my life and careerIve been making a living as a writer for three years now. But Ive been writing since I was 16. That means I didnt get any visible benefits from it for years.Why did I still continue writing all those years?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIts therapeuticWe all drive urselves crazy with excessive thinking at times. But when you put your thoughts into words, they become less scary. When you write down what scares you, you will automatically work on a solution. Sometimes the solution is acceptance. But you need to write those things down first.It improves your self-disciplineLiving a life of pleasure is simple. Everyone can Netflix and chill. Its easy to hang out all the time. But those easy things will not give you inner satisfaction. The reason that we dont do anything useful with our precious time is that we lack self-discipline. But when you write every day, you strengthen your discipline.You can use that better self-discipline to achieve virtually anything in life.You become a better persuaderWriting is nothing more than persuading the reader with words. But your tools are limited- you can only use words to tell a story. And when you write for yourself, youre trying to convince yourself of your own thoughts. So the more you write, the better you become at persuasion.You improve your self-knowledgeNothing will help you to get to know yourself more than translating your thoughts into words. When you force yourself to write every day, you automatically become more aware of your thoughts.And self-awareness is one of the most important skills that predict career success.It helps you to make better decisionsToo often, we do something without fully understanding why we do it. Think about it. How often do you answer I dont know when someone asks you Why did you do that? Thats the sign of weak thinking. Sure, we dont know everything. But we must be aware of that too. And when you write about your decision-making process, you will automatically become more aware of the why.I can see the benefits. But how did those things improve your career?Here you goWhen I was at University,I nailed all my papers and essays. And by the time I had to write my Masters thesis, I was already a pro. While my fellow students were procrastinating and sometimes took a full year to write their thesis, I finished mine in 4 months.When I wanted to get a job,I was invited to interview for almost every job I applied to. I wrote persuasive cover letters that recruiters could not resist.When I worked in sales,I was the top performing salesperson in the first year. All my sales were the result of my ability to write good pitch emails.When I started my business,I quickly formulated the mission and vision of the company. That helped us to identify our clients and serve them better.When I started my b log,I wrote more than100 articlesin my first year. That helped me to reach 2 million people in less than a year. Without a doubt, the ability to share my ideas with you is the thing I appreciate the most.When I started offering online courses,I made six figures in my second year because of my ability to write quality course material. And I could communicate the benefits of the courses in an effective way.There are way more successful writers than me. Look, you can do these things too. Maybe youre already doing great in your career. Or maybe you want to improve it, change careers, start a business, make more money, etc.It doesnt matter who you are or where you are in your career. Writing is one of the few skills in life that everyone can benefit from. Im not quick to make such a statement. And you cant say that about many other things life.How do I get started?Here are 7 tips that can help you with thatSet a goalWhy do you want to write? Pick a specific goal. Improve self-discipline? Become a better persuader? Turn it into a career? Write a book? Get clear on why you want to write.Read studydeparture by stealing other peoples writing styles.Its a strategy I learned from Austin Kleon.Stealing is an effective way to develop your own style. Plus, when you can steal ideas, you can never use the excuse of I dont have any inspiration. But take the craft of writing seriously. Study it as much as you can byreading booksand taking courses/workshops.Set a daily reminder to writeNothing is more important to a writer than having a routine. First, think about what time is the best for you to write. In the morning or evening? Before/after the kids are awake? Then, set a daily reminder on your phone- when it goes off, sit down and write.Pick an app that makes it easyDepending on your goal, pick software that makes it easy. To write a book, I prefer Word. I use Day One for journaling. And I use Ulysses to write my articles. No need to overcomplicate things. But makes sure you pick a specific app that you dedicate to a specific goal.Take notes throughout the dayIf you run into a good idea while youre at the supermarket, make a note of it. From now on, youre a writer. And everything that happens in your life is material. So make sure you capture everything.Set the bar lowYour goal is to write onlyone true sentence. Just one. The beauty of that goal is that the first sentence that comes up in your mind is always the truest of them all. So never say that your writing sucks. Avoid aiming for setting goals like, I want to write 1000 words a day. Thats too absolute. Instead, strive for writing one sentence. Then, keep going.Remove distractionsAll you want is 30 minutes of undisturbed time. Thats all. So turn your phone indo not disturb mode, turn off your wifi, and start writing. You dont need to do more research. Onlywrite.Often, people give advice like, Just get started And theres truth in that. Starting is important.But heres the thing Everyone can write fo r a day- or two, or three. But there are very few people who write consistently for years. But you need to write for a long time to see the actual benefits.So dont just get started. Keep going.This article originally appeared on Darius Foroux.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people