Writing Has Value, Sometimes More than You Know

Writing has value for others and for us. Writing helps us focus our thinking and communication. Adam Grant's Think Again shares a lot of his wisdom. 

Here's a snippet from a recent thread by Grant. 

Our writing will never be perfect. But writing helps us work at improving. How we write, how we research, edit, and summarize reflects how we do everything. 

Here are a few thoughts:

• "Do the unrequired work." Bare minimum effort achieves bare minimum results. Dan Pink reminds us to "do five more." And in Legacy, James Kerr counsels us, "Champions do extra."
• Copy investigative journalist Bob Woodward's principle of having at least six points worth sharing (highlighted).
• Writing helps us along the learning journey. Writing on paper is better as it imprints memories more effectively.  
• If you put your thoughts out there, you expose yourself to criticism. Remember that criticism often says more about the critic than the target. 
• Ron Howard says, "the film is made in the editing room." Life is about revision. Yet we live forwards and are critiqued backwards. 
• Writer Anne Lamott reminds us that "sh*tty first drafts" are the norm not the exception. Write it down. Fix it up. 

As a coach, I handed out composition notebooks to players. I suggested they write down three positives and one 'needs improvement' from each practice and game. Few did. One player, Samantha Dewey was always in her notebook. She's finishing her first year as a scholarship player at the University of Illinois. That's value in writing. 

Lagniappe. Study the game.