Peterson claims that there is no difference between thinking and writing.

Thinking is important because it allows you to plan your actions instead of taking unnecessary risks and acting recklessly. Like thinking, writing an essay allows you to plan and organize your thoughts to create a strong and coherent argument instead of simply saying the first thing that comes into your mind.

Additionally, Peterson says that since you can write down more ideas than you can remember, writing gives you the capacity to review your thoughts, reject substandard ideas and strengthen good ones.

Writing isn’t simply a skill used in school, it can be applied to a wide range of scenarios throughout your life:

“Here is something to think about: the person who can formulate and communicate the best argument almost always wins. If you want a job, you have to make a case for yourself. If you want a raise, you have to convince someone that you deserve it. If you are trying to convince someone of the validity of your idea, you have to debate its merits successfully, particularly if there are others with other competing ideas.” -JBP

As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword and by sharpening your ability to think and communicate your ideas through writing, you will become lethal. This skill will become especially valuable as you climb the competence hierarchy because you will need to articulate complex ideas and defend your opinions.



Practical Writing Advice:

Before you even begin writing, Peterson recommends getting a good night’s sleep the day before, then waking up in the morning and eating a healthy breakfast with some protein and fat (ex. Eggs and bacon, avoid coffee–Peterson says it is counter-productive).

If possible, have two monitors–one to present your reference material and your essay on the other. He also suggests getting a good keyboard (ex. Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard).

When you first sit down to write, your brain will likely rebel and look for distractions. Aim to write for 15 minutes without being distracted, soon you’ll find that your mind will settle down and concentrate on the task at hand.

When it comes to writing, go for quality over quantity. Three hours of focused writing is better than 10 hours of scattered self-deceptive work.

Lastly, don’t wait for a large chunk of free time to start writing. “You will never get big chunks of free time ever in your life, so don’t make your success dependent on their non-existent. The most effective writers write every day, at least a bit,” says Peterson.



Learn The Basic Rules of Writing: