Great advice on writing and building an extension of your mind

Great advice on writing and building an extension of your mind

Writing is a craft that takes time and practice to master. Tim Urban, the founder of Wait But Why, shares his experience of writing 300 blog posts before finding his voice and style. He emphasizes the importance of experimentation and being willing to rewrite and start over until you find what works for you. This advice applies not only to writing but to any creative endeavor. It's crucial to keep fiddling and trying new approaches until you find your unique style.

One of the ways to improve as a writer is to read extensively. Reading serves as fertilizer for your own writing, helping you absorb different styles and learn from established writers. Urban suggests starting somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between imitating another writer's style and being completely unique. As you grow and mature as a writer, you can gradually work your way up to being more innovative and developing your own distinct voice.

Feedback is valuable for growth, but it's important to be selective about whose feedback you listen to. The person giving feedback should believe in you, root for you, and understand that what they're reading is not your best work, but rather a process of experimentation and self-discovery. Finding someone who meets these criteria can provide valuable insights and guidance, helping you refine your writing and find your voice.

In a different context, mymind offers a unique approach to organizing and retrieving information. The creators of mymind aimed to develop a system that allows users to save and find things they like within seconds. Traditional organizational structures such as folders, lists, and categories are seen as antiquated and unable to keep up with the pace of our minds and lifestyles.

Mymind operates by using contextual and visual clues to trigger memories, mimicking the way our minds naturally recall information. The goal is to provide a more seamless and efficient way of accessing stored information. The absence of sharing features, collaboration tools, and distractions ensures a private and focused space for personal ideas and memories. This approach is particularly appealing to highly visual minds like designers, marketers, researchers, writers, and developers.

However, some users have expressed a desire for sharing and collaborating with others, highlighting the natural human inclination towards collaboration and the benefits of collective learning. While mymind focuses on individual use, it is worth considering the potential benefits of incorporating collaborative features in similar tools. Collaboration can foster creativity, spark new ideas, and enable knowledge sharing, leading to collective intelligence and growth.

In conclusion, both Tim Urban's advice on writing and the concept behind mymind offer valuable insights into personal development and creative expression. To improve as a writer, it's essential to experiment, read extensively, and seek feedback from trusted sources. Finding your unique voice takes time and perseverance. On the other hand, mymind offers a fresh approach to organizing and retrieving information, catering to highly visual minds and emphasizing the importance of a private and focused space for personal ideas and memories.

Three actionable pieces of advice that can be derived from these insights are:

1. Experiment with different writing styles and approaches until you find your unique voice and style.
2. Read widely to expose yourself to different writing styles and learn from established writers.
3. Seek feedback from individuals who believe in you, support your growth, and understand that your work is a process of experimentation and self-discovery.

By incorporating these actions into your writing journey and considering the benefits of tools like mymind, you can enhance your creative expression and personal organization, leading to greater personal and professional success.