I know of no more significant and trivial statement than this:
Reading and writing form the foundation of a modern, liberal society - and are also the prerequisite for the development of innovative technologies. Writing and journaling is the ultimate tool for professional development, for systematic learning and for making clear, reflective decisions in everyday life.
The trivial comes from the fact that everyone can write.
But writing doesn't mean a shopping list. Or the reply to a social media post. It means simply writing down your own experiences and thoughts on a regular basis. Writing a diary. Journaling.
Today I want to encourage my readers to write regularly. Because it creates clarity and unleashes incredible creative power.
Writing is one of the most underestimated tools. Everyone can do it, but very few people use it for themselves.
People can be distinguished - not just by their star sign, car preferences or whether they make mouth movements when thinking hard, but by the frequency with which they write.
And no, I'm not talking about the shopping list ("bananas, bike lock, vegan bologna") or the comment overkill under the 384th LinkedIn post on current thinking preferences.
I mean: real writing. Thoughts. Complex inner life. Words that don't come directly from the algorithm or are copied.
Today I want to get my readers to write regularly. Not because I want to sell a diary, but because writing creates clarity. And not only about why we are so confused, but also about what to actually do with all the thoughts.
Writing is one of the most underrated power tools - right after "go to bed on time" and "don't follow every impulse on social media".
At some point, I realized thatmy life was just passing me by. With the 50 to 60 hours I was working in my corporate job, I felt important and successful. But I was no longer moving forward.
Treading water in order to have a good life was not a compromise I wanted to make. But where is the solution if not in me?
So I started to simply "throw up" my thoughts on a piece of paper every morning. Spontaneously. Honestly. Incomplete. And lo and behold - somewhere between self-pity and chaotic scribbling, I discovered the power of journaling.
After over 2,000 days - of which I probably wrote on 60 to 70% of them - four principles crystallized for me.
Ten to fifteen minutes a day is enough.
The effect is amazing. The problem is all the books I have written. That's why I've experimented with writing on the computer every day, which has the advantage that you can search through the texts more easily.
If writing is so powerful, then there must be a scientific explanation. And here it is: Science actually favors handwritten writing.
The research is pretty clear: you should definitely write things down by hand.
1. deep processing through motor activity
When writing by hand, fine motor processes are active that are linked to sensory feedback and spatial orientation. This additional physical involvement promotes deeper processing of content - according to the "levels-of-processing" model of memory psychology.
2. stronger neuronal networking
When writing by hand, several areas of the brain are active at the same time:
3. slower pace = more time for reflection
Handwriting is slower than typing. This reduced speed gives the brain more time to process information, structure thoughts and deal more consciously with feelings or inner conflicts. This improves emotional clarity.
4. promotion of self-regulation
Studies show that handwriting strengthens executive functions such as self-control, planning and impulse inhibition - skills that are essential for genuine self-reflection. It creates a conscious "pause" that interrupts automatic thinking.
5. emotional processing is supported.
When writing by hand, many people report a stronger emotional connection to themselves. This is because the limbic system - especially the amygdala and the hippocampus - are more involved in processing when content is captured physically and expressively.
6. individual trace = stronger identification
Your own handwriting is unique. This promotes identification with what has been written and can lead to a feeling such as: "This is me. That's what I thought." - which supports self-acceptance and integration of your own thoughts (keyword: self-coherence).
But writing things down by hand has at least two major disadvantages: 1.) Each Moleskine journal now costs around 20 euros. Plus pen. If you use 1 or 2 per month, you can easily end up spending between €200 and €500 a year on the journal alone. And what's more, such a journal 2) is not searchable.
One possible solution is a digital writing journal, such as the Remarkable. There are many other products and corresponding product reviews on YouTube.
The tactile writing experience is almost identical to paper and it is narrower than a Moleskine, so it fits in any laptop bag and weighs about the same. One advantage is that you have several digital notebooks, making it much easier to navigate or create chapters than in a classic notebook.
A study commissioned by reMarkable, conducted by neuroscientist Dr.Thomas Zoëga Ramsøy, investigated the effects of using the reMarkable tablet compared to working on a computer. The results showed:
These results were supported by measurements of brain activity using EEG and heart rate variability (HRV).
What other arguments are there against writing every day?
What's left to say? We know that writing helps. We know that tools like the reMarkable can help us do this without pretending that we have to create a handmade Zen garden.
So the question is no longer whether you should write - but only how long you want to talk yourself out of doing it.
Your head is full, your everyday life chaotic, your focus as fragile as a Monday morning. Writing sorts you out. Period. Whether on paper, tablet or a napkin on the train - the main thing is to get started.
Or you don't. And keep scrolling.
Also a decision.