Why it’s so important to write down your Goals

In the age of digital this & online that, writing - with a pen (or pencil) on some paper - seems to be a forgotten act.

But the mere act of writing down your plans gives them form in the physical world. Although the form is only 2 dimensional potential, it acts as a lightning rod for all of the kinetic energies required to make it a reality. If this sounds too mystical or esoteric for you, I’ll present this idea to you in a more practical manner.

I have a whiteboard in my den. While I’m working on one project, I often have lots of ideas for things to do in the future. I also remember deadlines that I have to reach in the present.

It’s much easier to write those ideas down on the whiteboard rather than try to remember later or stop working now. If I tried to do that, I’d lose the energy that I’m putting into whatever I’m working on. As long as I later revisit the notes I took, then I’ve captured lightning and I can make it available for later use.

Writing also frees up mental space.

Speaking of “catching lightning”, this highlights another reason why you should write.

The average person forgets many more ideas than they ever remember. If the ideas are forgotten, then this means that they can’t be acted upon. By writing the ideas down, these flashes of insight and reflection are captured for later use.

Many of us have had that nagging experience of forgetting something that felt important at the time, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to remember when we needed it for later use. Well, when you get the habit of writing things down, you improve your ability to retain ideas–even the ones that you don’t write down. This will happen naturally, if for no other reason than you’re starting to free up mental space by writing other things down.

Become a better communicator.

In speech, you’re pressed to keep pace with the conversation and exercise a certain level of mental agility that while sometimes advantageous, keeps you from thinking deeply and formulating the most appropriate response.

Writing forces you to slow down. It forces you to be deliberate.

When you sit down to write, you have all the time in the world to find the best words and the best combination of those words to express yourself most clearly.

It’s for this reason that writing should improve your ability to speak.

As you take the time to improve your ability to express yourself with the high levels of accuracy and precision, you’ll find that you will also be much better able to speak on the fly. I think the reason for this is that when you deliberately practice putting together words in an effective manner, you simply learn (via experience) the best communication patterns. Those patterns become instinctual.

Communication is a type of force in that it can cause things to happen. The more precise your communication, the closer your eventual reality will resemble what you’re trying to accomplish in your mind. Writing allows you to continuously refine and polish your message, choosing the words with the most impact to use at the right times. There is no substitute for this practice.