Writing is a great tool to use when you want to gain clarity about an issue you’re dealing with or are troubled by. This is not news. The catch is that in order to get the best results you need to be clear from the outset about what you want from your writing. You could just fill page after page in a notebook (something I did for quite a few years until I chucked the entire lot), but after you’re finished you may not be any clearer than you were to begin with. You might even be more confused.
Simply writing about a troubling issue can provide benefits, such as helping you feel better, but it isn’t the best way to get clarity.
There are two approaches to writing for clarity—flow writing and deliberate writing—that involve different ways of using the brain. The problem with simply writing about something is that it tends to muddle these two approaches, which means not getting the full benefit of either.
Flow Writing: Making Use of Associative Thinking
The unconscious (System 1) excels in associative thinking. It detects patterns and connects dots quicker than the conscious part of our brain (System 2) can. It’s a fast processor that sometimes sacrifices accuracy for speed. But it also has access to lots of information the conscious brain isn’t aware of.
Flow writing, which is also called free writing, is non-linear, non-rational, and non-logical. There’s no structure to flow writing. You just put your pen to paper and write quickly, letting the words “flow” without censoring or editing them. You don’t stop to think about what you’re writing. The best way to free your mind for flow writing is to set a page limit or use a timer. Flow writing is a good choice if you’re not entirely sure what the problem is. If you have a lot of thoughts swirling around inside your head, you can get them down on paper and take a look at them. But even with flow writing, you’ll get better results if you begin with a specific question to prime your unconscious to focus on the issue or situation at hand.
Deliberate Writing: Making Use of Logical, Linear Thinking
The conscious part of the brain is rational, logical, and linear. It operates at a much slower—more deliberate—speed than the unconscious. A good way to engage conscious thinking to gain clarity about something is to respond to a series of questions or prompts. While flow-writing casts a wide net in search of answers or information, deliberate writing narrows the search.
This 8 Step Problem-Solving exercise is an example of using deliberate thinking to gain clarity. You proceed through the sequence of questions or statements with the intention of reaching some type of resolution about the problem.
Integrated Writing: Making Use of Both Kinds of Thinking
There are times when either flow writing or deliberate writing alone will be sufficient. But integrating them can be much more powerful in terms of results. Integrated writing is synergistic rather than additive, which means the whole (the result) is greater than the sum of the parts you used to arrive at it. A few examples of integrated writing include:
10 minutes of flow writing (System 1 associative thinking) followed by writing the answers to a series of questions (System 2 logical, linear thinking). You can create your own set of questions or use the ones in the 8 Step Problem-Solving exercise.
Write Your Way Out of the Story. For instructions scroll to Antidote #3 in this post on rumination.
Go Deeper: This is a 4-part exercise that’s best to do in one sitting. Begin by writing a question at the top of a blank page and then flow write in response to it for 8-12 minutes. Next, reread what you wrote (engaging System 2), select a sentence or phrase, and write it at the top of another blank page. Flow write in response to this sentence or phrase for 8-12 minutes. Finally, reread both pieces (System 2), find a question—either one you asked in your writing or one that occurs to you after reading—write it at the top of a blank page, and flow write in response to it for 8-12 minutes. Then reread all three pieces and write a one-paragraph summary (System 2).
No matter which type of writing you decide to use, having an intention—being clear about what you’re doing and what you want to get out of your writing—is probably the most important element.