Write Club

Yesterday, I was chatting with a friend about notetaking and compounding knowledge. He mentioned how if writing is thinking and most people aren't writing, then most people aren't thinking!

its just like
there are running clubs.
there are reading clubs.
there are chess clubs. there are xyz clubs.
heck, even have ice bath club.
but...
no club to get people to sit down and think.

Well, there should be one.

If I were to start one, here are the rules:

• For two hours every Friday morning, sit down to write
• Turn off the Wi-Fi on your computer
• Turn on Do Not Disturb on your phone and leave it out of sight
• The only requirement is to publish what you have written at the end (If you have a website, great. Otherwise, a Google Doc is fine, too.)
• Bonus: Read one another's published notes

(Sorry, there will be no talks, no networking, and no food!)

You don't actually need a club to do this. It is what I have been practicing by myself at home, and it has been surprisingly helpful.

If you haven't been writing regularly, this will be hard. You will stare at the blinking cursor for 10-15 minutes with nothing coming to mind. So, here are my recommendations:

• Write about something small, and see where it leads you. Don't aim to write a novel or a thesis.
• Write about something you did or something that happened to you recently. (I once wrote about replacing my Aeron chair with a $10 wooden stool, which made me realize I had fallen for the sunk cost fallacy.)
• Or write about a decision you want to make. (Writing about wanting to focus led me to set up a more thorough writing environment.)
• Or write about something bothering you. (After I wrote about why notetaking hasn't helped me feel more knowledgeable, I went to read up on tacit knowledge.)
• For the first hour, don't edit. Just let your words flow. Edit in the second hour.

If you commit to this, after a few attempts, your brain will start noticing things you might want to write about each Friday.

What if you need to research and verify information online? No, you don't have to during that two-hour window. You can do that afterwards. In fact, if you sit with the uncertainty as you write and commit to it even just for two hours, you will remember the information better when you research online later, especially if you turn out to be wrong. You can always update your published note.

If you want to try this and want someone to hold you accountable, send me your published note at hello@alfredlua.com. I'll read it and reply to you.