How thinking less makes you a better writer

Hang on a minute, Alex; how am I supposed to get anything done if I'm not thinking?

I never said stop thinking.

It's just that most of us think too much. And don't lie.

You know this is true.

So why exactly do we benefit from thinking less?

To answer this question, we need to distinguish between two types of thinking, and why one of them regularly gets in our way.

The first type of thinking is the kind most of us are deeply familiar with since birth: personal thinking. This comprises worry, which is never very helpful, but it also consists of active planning, which is often useful.

Understanding the other type of thought is where things get a bit spiritual (and interesting).

These are thoughts that come to us from the Universal Mind, so to speak.

In a nutshell, the entire Universe is comprised of thought. This is what consciousness allows us to see, touch and sense.

When we allow our personal thoughts to quiet for a moment, we can witness this underlying thought. It appears as wisdom because the Universe, when left alone, is always moving towards creativity and growth.

So we can tap into this second type of thinking when we take it easy on our personal minds and quit stirring stuff up with all the overthinking.

It's harder to explain and easier to realise for yourself.

When you're in the shower, surrounded by white noise, and you're more present, you might be hit with an insight. This is the Universal Mind at play. You're tapped in, and you can sense it.

Gut instinct is the same. It's that sense that something is right or wrong.

It's easier to tap into this inner wisdom when we think less and get into motion.

And thinking less means having the faith that we'll know what to do when we let go. We have faith because we know we can receive wisdom from a deeper place.

Yes, planning can be essential. But if we're talking about continued creative motivation, it often pays to relinquish that sense of control and enjoy the rewards of actively thinking less.

This means having faith that the right thoughts will reach you as you need them.

You can see this play out when, for example, speaking to someone on the phone. You don't know how the conversation will play out, but you might find that when you relax, you know just the right things to say without thinking about it too much.

The same applies to writing. When you aren’t overthinking and just letting go to a stream of consciousness flow, you write better. You can, of course, edit out what makes less sense later.

And if you've noticed, we tend to be rewarded by insights like these when we're in action and free from overthinking, worrying, and over-planning.

This is when you’re tapped into a deeper intelligence.

Knowing it's there means we don't need to spend all that time worrying before important meetings or starting a new piece of writing.

Understanding that the Universe has your back like this makes for a creatively jacked you.

—

Be open to thinking less and acting more, and you may find you have all that you need.

—

This was an excerpt from my recent book, Creatively Jacked, which you can buy here.

P.S. If you’d like to have my full support on your own journey of brand-building through writing, you can join us as a paying member and support me too. You get:

• Free access to three exclusive articles per month.

• Access to all locked posts here (hundreds).