"Just Dump your Thoughts" is bad advice

When you want to start writing online, one common advice is, “Just dump your thoughts”. I’m guilty of suggesting this too. But as I wrote more chapters of the technical blogging book and talked to more and more people, I realized something. It’s the most unhelpful advice.

Empty Advice

The sad part is the internet is full of it.

Wake up early
Workout daily
Journal everyday
Mediate
…

Now all of these are great advice and life-changing habits. Empty advice without actionable takeaways leads us nowhere, instead creating a sense of scarcity among us

How learning occurs?

Have you seen kids trying to walk? It’s biological. It’s built into our DNA. Despite that, they need the push, assistance, and encouragement for kids to take the 1st step.

Instead, imagine walking to the kid and saying, “Just walk. You have it in your DNA.”

I hear you. We aren’t kids anymore. But when learning something new, we all are, at least our brains are. Despite being the supercomputer of our body, our brain needs a system/method to follow and replicate.

Assisted Learning

So what’s the alternative?

As a creator, Instead of asking people to “just do <x>,” add a little more. It is also the curse of the experience that we skip a few steps. When we make a conscious effort to notice the nuances of our actions before we pack them into a “just” statement

When I planned my 1st international trip to Europe, if someone said, “Just plan it,” I would have given up the idea of traveling right there. Instead, my friend got me on a call and showed me the systems, methods, and apps he used to book tickets.

This mental model helped me plan my other trips with ease. There were cases where I had to optimize for my needs.

Let’s expand on Just Dump your thoughts.

Open an empty piece of paper or a document.
Set a timer for 5 minutes
Close your eyes
Notice your thought as it occurs. Do you hear an inner voice? Great,
Now open your eyes and give them words