Write your way to glory...

Opening this article with a big THANK YOU to each one who has taken out time to read and respond to my articles. This one is for all of you..So many of you asked me how I started writing and what actually inspires me to keep at it. Writing has been instrumental in making me a more confident, clear and articulate person & through this article I am going to elaborate on the benefits I have reaped out of performing this activity regularly. Before I delve into these benefits, I want to clear that "Writing" for me includes expressing through articles and stories, logging as well as planning.

Benefit 1: Facilitates effective time management

This has been the greatest practical advantage I have experienced since I have started writing my monthly, weekly and daily plans. It is a ritual that I stick to no matter how strenuous the week ahead seems. Allotting time to each of my priority areas gives me a reality check of how much time is actually available as against how much time I perceive as "available". It re-affirms my intention to achieve whatever is planned for the day.

Benefit 2: Helps declutter the mind to achieve clarity of thought

My experience with writing since school has taught me that this is the best way to achieve some clarity of thought. Very often, our daily routines, the piled up tasks and numerous priorities overwhelm us. I have observed that devoting 10 minutes at the beginning and end of everyday to set my goals for the day, reflect on the entire day and assess areas for improvement or better ways to do the same thing provides me with a lot of clarity.

A decluttered brain provides freedom from unnecessary stress to actually focus on tasks that are really important

Benefit 3: Promotes habit consolidation (a very good exercise to increase self-discipline)

If you are looking forward to develop a productive habit, writing is the way to go. Its something that I have grown to appreciate and this is one of the favorite benefits that I cash on to integrate a new habit into my routine. For e.g. when I embarked on the journey of getting fitter, I started focusing on and tracking my food, workout, activity and sleep patterns. As time passed by, my awareness about how I felt, my compliance to the plan and the euphoria of adherence cemented habit formation. I credit this exercise of logging and analysis as a critical contributor to the massive life-style change that I underwent. You may choose to log into an online tool, a simple excel sheet or the old school pen & paper (my favorite) to track your progress in consolidating habits.

Benefit 4: Most effective modes of expression

Writing is therapeutic, it helps the writer communicate without the fear of being judged. It is especially a great way to express thoughts, emotions and dreams especially for teenagers (and definitely all other age groups) who may feel overwhelmed by the sudden changes in their lives or when they may feel like no one really understands them. It is also a powerful medium of communicating one's experiences, thoughts, opinions and knowledge with an audience that is willing to know. I never really realized the true power of writing my thoughts and experiences until a very close friend told me how much she found my articles comforting, that she felt like someone understood her and was trying to help her navigate through life. Journaling, writing articles, poems, stories, plans and goals are all forms of expression that are captured most effectively though writing.

Words are powerful and have the ability to change lives. If you have something constructive to say, you never know whose life you may really change

Following are the links to my previous work:

The balancing act - A working youngster's attempt to a happy life

Life lessons learnt on the running track

An obvious but overlooked aspect of new year resolutions

My mother's guide to a fulfilling life

The Beauty of Flexibility

Multipotentialite? What?

Acing the multi-potentiality game... (Part II)

Please continue, reading, liking and sharing my work. It motivates me to keep going. Thank you all once again.