The Case for Reading and Writing More Long-Form Content
The unsurprising decline of literacy in 2022
Why Is Writing So Challenging?
Allow me to start by saying that publicly posting your writing online is no easy feat. First, you must ask yourself — what topic should I write about? Which leads you to the question — what is my stance on this topic? Which leads you to the next question — am I ready to share my stance on this particular topic? When you start to really think about sitting down and writing a full article, it becomes clear why Twitter’s 140-character limit is so attractive.
One of the challenges of writing is that it requires you to closely examine your thoughts and ideas. While you’re engaged in this introspection, you must also find the most precise language to articulate your findings in a coherent manner. Not to mention, you want to ensure that whatever you’re writing about is offering valuable information to the reader.
I consider myself to be a proficient conversationalist. I am happy to discuss complex topics in-depth for long periods of time. So why is it that I gravitate away from long-form writing? This is precisely the question I intend to answer through my new practice of writing at least one article per week.
What Are We Conserving Our Energy For?
In this day and age, we’ve taken a big step away from reading, writing, and learning. We scroll through Twitter looking for an idea worthy of re-tweeting. Then we switch to the infinite abyss that is Instagram, seeking a semblance of human connection. Then we hit up our news apps in search of attention-grabbing headlines that make us feel responsible and informed. It’s human nature to embark on the path of least resistance in order to conserve our energy. However, exactly where is this path of least resistance leading us, and what are we conserving our energy for?
Let’s use muscle growth as an example. If you want to grow bigger and stronger muscles, you have to lift heavy weights that are beyond your current comfort zone. Soon thereafter, your muscles will adapt in order to prepare for a potential future in which they will have to lift heavy weights again. There’s a lot more to muscle growth that I would love to get to in a later article, but for the sake of this argument, let’s keep moving.
Humans need to strain and stretch beyond their current abilities in order to grow. The same idea applies to our intellectual abilities. “Use it or lose it,” they say. I can’t help but feel like the average American is losing the ability to learn new information or solve complex problems because we hardly ever spend extended periods on our daily tasks. If an activity requires strain, we tend to turn away from it. We’re spending more and more time on social media apps that mimic learning and human connection, and we are neglecting the importance of flexing and working our intellectual muscles on the same topic for a long period of time. As a result, we are losing our ability to read books, write essays, and learn new insights.
On the bright side, it’s never too late to start reading books or writing long-form articles (or to start going back to the gym, for that matter). Next time you’re scrolling mindlessly on your phone — ask yourself — when is the last time you finished a 200-page book and learned something new and profound? When is the last time you learned a difficult new skill that helped you grow personally or professionally? When is the last time you focused on one single task or problem for more than 60 minutes?
If you can’t remember, that’s okay. As I mentioned earlier, humans are hard-wired to pick the path of least resistance in order to conserve energy. We evolved this way. However, unless you are working 12-hour days, 7 days a week, supporting a family, and struggling to pay your mortgage payment or put food on the table, do you really need to conserve so much of your energy?
How To Get Started
If you’re not sure where to start, check out this collection of my favorite books, articles, and podcasts. Start by reading a 200–300 page book to completion. Or you could watch a 3-hour lecture in one or two sittings while taking notes. Or try your hand at writing an article on a topic that interests you. For note-taking, I use Notion and my iPhone’s Notes app. Now go flex that intellectual muscle! Gains for your brains!