Just Seven Things

Self-Coaching and the Medication of Writing

It’s long established in personal development, goal setting and business coaching books that writing out plans or goals helps to focus the mind and body’s resources on the achievement of that goal. Particularly when followed through with consistent, persistent and focused immediate action.

I covered the use of writing for creativity and brainstorming.

One of the things I love though is the use of writing to self-coach and self-medicate problems, issues, concerns and worries. It’s the fact that you can ‘get something off your chest’ with a piece of paper and a pen. I find now that literally as soon as I start to develop concern over something that I cannot immediately action or address (and I am very immediate-action focused), I get my notebook out and write down the issues and any potential solutions or very next actions that come to me at the time.

I then find that two things invariably happen. 1. The concern is immediately lifted. I’m a very kinaesthetic person and feel the weight or heaviness lifted from me. 2. My other-than-consciousness seems to kick into percolation/ solutions mode. Invariably, when I come to the time allocated to address the issue or concerns, it rarely seems as serious as it originally did. Equally, the solutions to address the problem are quite well-formed.