High-quality thinking isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity, especially when the stakes are high. Contrary to what we might wish to believe, “winging it” in the realm of thought incurs more than just a financial toll—it can cost us opportunities, relationships, and even our well-being. As the saying goes, “Good thinking is expensive, bad thinking costs a fortune.”
It’s not enough to allocate mere fragments of time and attention to thinking. A piecemeal approach lacks depth, failing to dissect the intricacies of a problem or idea. On the contrary, forcing ourselves to make our thoughts visible through writing acts as a stringent accountability measure. Just as my friend Seki enlightened me, writing acts as a mirror, reflecting the clarity—or fog—of our thoughts back at us. And let’s be honest: poor thinking can’t escape the scrutiny of the written word.
Committing thoughts to paper is transformative. Good writing, by its very nature, mandates good thinking. You don’t “get the gist” and translate that into eloquent prose—it’s more symbiotic than that. Writing serves as both a catalyzer and a filter, accelerating the solidification of nebulous ideas while sieving out the chaff. Therefore, don’t skimp on cognitive investment; the ROI on clear, well-articulated ideas is virtually immeasurable.
So next time you find yourself grappling with a complex problem or abstract concept, don’t just skim the surface. Dive in, pen in hand.
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