Why write a blog?

Ever since I considered setting up a coaching business, I’ve been lucky enough to get lots of guidance from friends and colleagues, many who’ve set up their own ventures.  But there are occasions where you get conflicting advice on issues large and small and from which you have to make your own call.  Today’s decision:  do I or don’t I write a blog for my website?  Opinions are divided but it’s been a surprise to me just how many are against the idea.  You’ll never get around to it; you just won’t have the time; and you’re not a writer; are just some of the reasons put forward by the naysayers in my circle. So why create a blog, and why write at all?  Well, I’ve done some research and here’s why you and other leaders might find putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) worthwhile:

Writing makes you more persuasive

Have you ever kicked yourself following a conversation or meeting where you wanted to get across an important point but fell short?  If the answer is yes you might have found yourself tongue tied and failing to make an impact, only to have a perfectly worded argument pop into your head after the event.  Writing orders your thoughts, refines your view, and sharpens your ideas ahead of these conversations allowing you to communicate more effectively.  By making your thoughts visible on paper or screen, you increase the chance that what sounds good in your head, sounds great out loud too.  The better you communicate the more persuasive you’ll become – and that’s a useful thing to be when you’re fighting for something you believe in.

Writing makes you healthier

Research shows that writing is great for your mental health and wellbeing. It is well documented that writing can be therapeutic in the sense that writing about difficulties can alleviate stress and help you deal with trauma.  Noting down worries can help you calm an overactive mind and sleep better, and even the physical act of writing engages you in something that’s mindful and gives you a break from our busy world.  Sometimes having a quiet word with yourself through writing is the best way to restore some much-needed perspective on our problems without the judgements and fatigue that conversation with others can entail.  We pack such a lot into our working lives these days inside and outside the office that it’s no wonder we can feel overwrought from time to time.  Writing declutters your mind, helping to keep you strong and resilient over the long term.

Writing makes you wiser

Writing about your life helps you study your own and others’ emotional reactions and behaviours, and to learn from them.  We all have our own unique personalities, along with character traits that have advantages and disadvantages that play out well or not so well. Keeping a diary or a journal allows us to reflect on our reactions to events. This gives us the opportunity to either act the same or choose to behave differently the next time we find ourselves in similar situations, depending on whether things went well or not. Writing about particular subjects also helps you to build up your knowledge and re-enforce your memories so you can call on them when you need them or reach out to your notebook to refresh them.  And that allows you to free your mind up to concentrate on what you need to do now, rather than what you need to do next.

Writing helps you achieve your goals

If being more persuasive, healthier and wiser doesn’t do it for you then how about achieving your goals?  And I don’t mean just in work, I mean in life as a whole too.  It stands to reason that you can’t hit a target unless you’ve defined what it is that you’re aiming for.  You can define goals in your head by thinking about them, but a positive way to flesh them out is to write them down.  That way you can see how they look, hear what they sound like, and start going about achieving them – in other words – you have a plan.    Psychologists have shown that when people record even the smallest of accomplishments in a given day or week, they feel more motivated and engaged, and become more productive as a result.  That’s why we make to-do-lists.  Writing down goals on a grander scale can help make dreams more tangible, stave off procrastination, and encourage action.

So overall, I think I’m on the side of the writers, and I’ll go ahead with a monthly blog, on two conditions.  First that I have something to talk about that I think might be useful, interesting or thought-provoking for people to read.  Secondly that I have a website to post it on.  If you’re reading this then I’ll have achieved a few of my own goals over the next few months.  Thanks for everyone’s help and advice along the way.  Some of you don’t know who you are yet, but you will soon if all goes to plan.

If you found the above interesting and would like to know more about how coaching and learning and development can help you or your organisation, visit www.sapiencoaching.com or drop an email to info@sapiencoaching.com