In middle school, creative writing had always been one of my favorite tasks. I had the ability to create stories, fictional and non-fictional. But as time passed and my priorities shifted, I lost my touch and writing had become a thing of the past.

7 years later, I came across the bullet journal method and eventually made the transition to journaling into the Day One app. Writing for myself has taught me a lot and it was a key step to my transition to writing online. Today I want to share with you three important lessons I learned from my journey of writing.

1. Write like no one is reading

When I started writing once again, I struggled to put anything on paper. I was under the assumption that my writing needs to be perfectly edited, with the appropriate punctuation and sentences.

Soon enough I realized that this was the wrong approach. Once I let go of the shackles of formal grammar and began pouring everything on my mind with no hesitations, that's when my writing really began to take shape.

Start by writing for yourself - it doesn't have to make sense. It can be about your favorite meal, a reflection of the day, or even an elaborate to-do list. Just keep it simple!

"Writing to me is simply thinking through my fingers" - Isaac Asimov

2. Elevated mental clarity

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the number of to-dos on your list? Believe me, you are not alone. Writing itself is extremely powerful because it gives you the opportunity to streamline your thoughts as you put them down on paper. Many times, the same items I had on my to-do list, didn't seem as intimidating once I broke them down in my own writing. In fact, research shows that writing has a positive effect on your working memory as well as on your cognition and mood.

3. Unleashed creativity

Some of my best ideas this year have all been a result of writing them down. By simply breaking down an idea that was on my mind, I started making links and started to see a path as to how I could implement it.

Whether you're looking for a solution to a hundred-year-old question or want to make a million dollars, your first step should be to simply write it down and break it into actionable pieces.

"If you want to change the world, pick up a pen and write" - Martin Luther King