Write to Think - Why I Write Even More In the AI Era
You're busy. AI is exploding. So, why on earth should you spend more time writing?
For me, I write to think - that's where the real magic happens – especially now. As someone deep in the tech world, I've seen that the ability to clarify your thoughts through writing isn't just a skill; it's becoming a superpower.
In the AI era, writing isn't just about communicating. It's about thinking clearly. And frankly, it's becoming a non-negotiable skill if you want to lead and innovate.
You've heard it: leaders need time to think. But "thinking" can be fuzzy. Writing, on the other hand, forces you to get specific. It's a process, a daily discipline of building thoughts brick by brick.
Look at Amazon's famous 6-pagers + PR/FAQs. It's not just about the size of the paper or what font types to use; it's about the rigor that comes with it - thinking and ruthless prioritization that writing such a doc demands. You simply can't write a clear memo without first achieving clarity of thought. That's the kind of deep work that leads to breakthroughs, and it's a culture I deeply respect and see echoes of in many successful tech environments.
Needed more convincing? Jennifer Guckel Porter also shared similar thoughts with her HBR post back in 2017, it's worth reading if you haven't. This is true with or without AI.
Why Lean Into Writing When AI is Here?
This is where it gets interesting. Instead of making writing obsolete, I believe AI makes the human act of writing to think even more crucial.
Garbage In, AI Out - AI is an incredible amplifier. But it needs your best input. The clearer your written thoughts, questions, and context, the more powerful AI becomes as your partner. You're not just feeding it data; you're guiding its "thinking" with your own.
Your Personal Mastermind Group and Peer Advisory Board - This is how I use it. I write down my thoughts, then I throw them at AI. "Critique this." "What am I missing?" "Play devil's advocate." It's like having an on-demand, private mastermind group or sounding board to stress-test and refine my ideas. The AI knows a ton, but you need to frame the problem and the direction.
The Irreplaceable Human Angle - Let AI handle the heavy lifting of data processing. Your job, sharpened by writing, is the nuanced judgment, the creative leap, the ethical consideration. These are the skills that set you apart.
My Go-To Daily Habits (Steal These!)
This isn't theory; it's my daily grind. Here's how I make writing and AI work for me:
Brain Dump Freely - Jot notes all day. Seriously, "word vomit" is totally fine. The point is to get those fleeting thoughts out of your head and onto paper (or screen). You'll know what you meant when you come back to it.
Shape Your Chaos - Later, revisit those notes. Make time to reflect and think - by writing even more! Now's the time to articulate what you actually think. This distillation is key – for you, and for any AI you bring in.
Spar with Your AI - Take those refined thoughts to your AI tools. Ask tough questions. Push back. Iterate. This is where ideas get battle-tested and become stronger. Do not disagree and commit here!
Make It Actionable - Thinking is great, but it's nothing without action. Frame your insights towards tangible next steps. AI is getting better at helping here with better tool-use (yes, i hear you. At some point, github copilot will be able to better leverage the entire codebase in the right-sized context window), but owning the "what next" is on you.
Look, the pace isn't slowing down. AI is a game-changer, but it doesn't replace your brain. If anything, it demands you use it more deliberately.
Writing is the gym for your thinking muscles.
Make it a daily workout. You'll be amazed at how it helps you cut through the noise and lead with clarity in this new era.
What are your go-to methods for clear thinking amidst the AI whirlwind? Would love to hear!
#WriteToThink #AI #Leadership #Tech #Innovation #CriticalThinking
(and of course - the above post, along with the post cover images are all drafted by AI, but "Human+Machine"'ed by me with ❤️)
here's my original "word vomit" prompt of this post for those who're interested - and btw - notice the typos in the prompt? they're AWESOME!
topic on why in the ai era you should takes time to think and WRITE everyday or another way to describe would be you should WRITE to think in the ai era - here's the high level gist of it
1. quote that there are a lot of successful leaders / writers that always takes time out of their busy days to think - whether that's a run in the central park or on their way back from commute to SF. and they do that consistently - think once or while does not work - this is a process where the thoughts build on top of day by day
2. writing is another way to force you take time to stop and think more - a lot of successful company also does this - they make their leaders and employees write their reports every week if not every day. you can see similar habits in the large tech company culture as well as in amazon - one pager / 6 pager / pr/faqs - writing is critically important in their culture
3. in the ai era - dont do it by youself, think though writing and run it by ai tools. genai tool has these benefits 1, 2, 3, - that said - the most important thing is that the maturity of th thinking model that knows everything. so you will have to write to help it to help you. but dont just write, write and ask questions, interact with it as if it's your mastermind group or private board for the company of YOU.
4. here sare some tips that i use everyday to help me think 1) take notes through out my day, but dont THINK too much on what you take down - this can totally be a word vomit as long as you know what you are writing down - this is to bring your train of thoughts back when you recap your later later 2) now read through your notes and understand what you did - write down your actual thoughts - this is key to shared with yourself and your ai friends 3) interact and refine these thoughts through you interation with the ai tools 4) make it actionable and trackable - this is hard for the ai to do as it requires a in-depth tool-use in the ai's capaibliities. but this will only get better