I wake up. I make myself a coffee. And I sit down at my desk to write.

This is how I begin almost every day (I’m not perfect. We all have those days).

I do this because I’m convinced that writing is one of the best skills—one of the best habits—that you can build.

Writing as the foundational skill

Some skills and habits are specific.

Knowing how to juggle flame torches has little crossover to the rest of your life—other than the fact it makes you a more impressive person.

But some skills and habits are foundational.

They have influence over the rest of your life.

Exercise is foundational. It makes you feel better, mentally and physically. It helps you be more productive. It impacts all areas of life.

And writing is another. Not only does building the skill and habit of writing help you get more words on a page, it makes you a more effective person. 

Here’s why…

Writing helps you think better

Most “thinking” is done reactively and passively.

Thoughts run through our head. Some positive. Others negative.

The problem with this type of thinking is that it’s rarely productive. It turns into ruminating. Overthinking. And we never gain the clarity we desire.

But when you write, you’re forced to take these messy, unorganized, often random thoughts and concepts in your head…

…and put them into words. Sentences and paragraphs that are coherent.

Writing forces you to structure your messy thinking.

And this structure leads to clarity, better decision making, and creative insights.

Writing helps you communicate better

I can’t link you to a scientific study, but it’s pretty obvious that being able to think and write better has a significant degree of crossover to articulate verbal communication.

When you’re a good writer, you can articulate your thoughts better than someone who doesn’t write (generally speaking).

Writing helps you read more

“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you’re functionally illiterate.”

General Mattis

Reading is a life-changing habit. But it’s also a habit that’s hard to build.

When you write consistently, you naturally find yourself reading more.

You want to read books as research.

You might be working on an article, video script, or something else. You realize that there’s a gap in your knowledge you need to close, and there’s a book you can read to help you close that gap.

Your reading now becomes attached to a larger goal.

When I wrote my book on workflow and creativity for music producers, I read somewhere between 10-15 books in two months before I even got to writing it.

Note: I’ve also found that the more I read, the more I want to write because my mind is bursting with new knowledge and ideas.

Writing helps you learn faster

When you’re writing to an audience, you’re usually teaching something (unless you’re writing fiction—but even then you could make the argument).

As Seneca says in his Letters to Lucilius, “By teaching, we learn.”

When you know you’re having to teach something, you learn better. You retain more information because there’s a need to retain it.

You’re also more motivated to learn. You’re more motivated to read. Just as the person training for a marathon is generally more motivated to run than the runner with no goal, the person with the goal of writing is more motivated to learn than the person with no goal.

Writing forces you to synthesize

Writing is synthesis.

The fusing together of different ideas, disciplines and concepts into something new.

And in today’s world, being a synthesizer is more useful than ever before. We have an abundance of information, but a scarcity of clarity.

Writing can make you money

Publishing great content consistently—whether it’s a newsletter, blog, or YouTube videos—can provide a part-time or even full-time income.

My first business, EDMProd, was built off the back of my writing habit.

The second version of the workflow & creativity book I wrote made 6 figures in 12 months.

And today, my YouTube channel and personal brand (along with associated products) makes me money. All as a direct result of my writing habit.

You don’t need to be a “writer” to make money from your writing.

The best of what I consumed last week

I had a busy week and didn’t read or consume a whole lot, but here are two books I finished that I recommend:

• 10x is Better Than 2x by Benjamin P. Hardy and Dan Sullivan
  • Could have been a blog post, but still worth a read
• Outlive by Peter Attia
  • If you’re at all interested in being healthy, this is a must read.