I needed a system for writing, and didn’t realize until it was almost too late.

The moment I finished my business degree course, I reflected on how much my writing skills had improved and how powerful it could be to express ideas and persuasive arguments in an essay. Every assignment had been a battle though. At the time I thought that was just how it went – wrestling with the structure and information until it finally flowed was just the nature of the process. I was sitting at the same desk from which I’m writing now, and at that moment I wanted to keep writing for my own purposes and enjoyment, but I didn’t even think about finding a system that might help to reduce the clunkiness and frustration I felt with the process.

Start small and have a plan.

I didn’t start small, and I definitely didn’t have a plan, but I did start writing…

I ended up with a sprawling mass of ideas with no structure. I launched into writing essays that were going to be deeply insightful, broad-ranging and full of research. Simultaneously I was jotting down notes for every next article I’d definitely write.

Except I didn’t finish even one.

If you don’t have a strong aim for your writing from the outset then no topic is out of bounds. I found myself cramming in every little thought or referencing every contemporary topic on which I had an opinion.

However, with a couple of adjustments the whole writing process became clearer, more productive and a whole lot more enjoyable. These are the ways I managed to tidy up the mess I created when I first started putting my thoughts into words:

#1 Use a template

Having a proven, powerful structure to work within makes it so much easier to formulate your writing.

Do a search for the ‘Atomic Essay’ structure and use that to start with. Atomic Essays are compact, logically structured and really force you to think about the subject you’ve selected. Copy-paste the structure into a document, and line by line replace the template elements with your own input. Don’t try to over-complicate your work. Focus on being specific and coming up with really valuable advice or insight for your reader. This isn’t cheating – it’s just working smart.

#2 Keep a notebook

The strangest little comments or discussions can give you ideas for compelling articles, and they can arise when you least expect it, so write them down when you hear them.

I use a Notion document to keep quick notes and any topic which springs to mind becomes a new entry in a database. The same database is accessible from my phone or my PC, so I can pop work into it at just about any time except when I’m showering or driving! When I sit down to write on the computer, the notes are all there and I can copy-paste the relevant parts into a new version of an essay template, and get stuck in straight away. For bonus results, when you select a writing topic, try to spot commonalities or connections between that and the other notes you’ve made and synthesize new angles from which to write.

#3 Write down your own life story

Seriously! You probably think this is a joke but I’m serious. This suggestion comes from Dan Koe, and it’s frankly brilliant. You don’t have to share that whole story with anyone, but opening an blank document and layout out your autobiography is a really powerful step because it can shape and inform everything else you write.

It doesn’t have to be a novel, and don’t feel you have to complete it before moving on to the articles or essays you want to write. Draft out the key life events that have shaped who you are and how you got to where you are today. Then look at the lessons you learned from each of those events. The tragic, the humorous, the dramatic and the mundane all have had some impact on you and lead you to think and act in particular ways. Keep this document alongside your notes and use anecdotes and examples of you own experience to add weight and authenticity in your future writing.

So, start small and have a plan. Put your ideas out into the world.