Morgan Housel on Writing

Tim Ferriss with Morgan Housel

He said something that stuck with me.

He doesn’t write multiple drafts. He writes one. The reason is because he doesn’t end a sentence until he’s completely satisfied with it. Said another way, he revises as he’s writing.

I thought this was very interesting, because I’ve always heard the opposite. The key was to let your thoughts run onto the paper and then come back for the clean up. But I liked his approach. It made sense to me, and it reminded me of a similar piece of advice I heard on a podcast years ago.

The guest was talking about a friend’s meditation practice. He noted that his friend meditated by thinking in complete sentences. Which sounds intuitive. But if you think about it, how often are you bouncing from one thought to another without completing the one you are on? At the time I heard this, the answer for me was most of the time.

That changed everything for me.

I credit this change of mindset with helping me make a lot of progress across many aspects in my life where I previously struggle. Writing. Reading. Oral communication. Thinking in general.

Creative endeavors can seem like flows of consciousness. I always thought they were. But that’s not always the case. They can also be well thought out and meticulous in their design. I know the latter works better for me.