The real secret sauce to a writing routine & thought leadership

A friend recently asked me about how to kickstart their writing routine. 

As a coach, they’re reinvigorating their email newsletter and want to build their thought leadership.

They had questions about how to write regularly and consistently, about how to make sure their writing resonates with their audience, and about how to find their voice as a writer and thought leader. 

These are questions I get fairly often — maybe you’ve had them too.

Here’s the thing, the crux of my advice boiled down to this: 

Get something out the door. Let it be shitty. Keep going.

This advice might seem incredibly basic. Especially compared to some of the strategies, templates, and systems floating around on the Internet. 

Look, I know it’s not sexy. I know it feels uncomfortable. Maybe you were looking for something with a little more pizazz. 

(If you work in health and fitness, it is the equivalent of, “how do I get healthier and lose weight?” — The answer being something along the lines of, “eat healthy food, get some sleep, and move your body.” It seems it’s not what anyone wants to hear, but the blandest answer remains the truest.)

When it comes to writing…  nothing happens without words on a page. 

You just can’t skip it. And if you are already writing somewhat consistently, you are already lapping the vast majority of people, because most people never do it.

The fact is:

You don’t develop as a writer, you don’t connect with your audience, you don’t find your authentic voice, without writing and publishing. 

To do all of these things, we need to write. Hit publish, send, print. 

And then we need to do it again. And again. 

Everything builds on that act of doing. 

And sure, there are plenty of ways to improve upon that. When working with thought leaders, I take them through a process to align their writing with their brand, and the big ideas they want to be known for. We’re not just shooting darts — we’re considering their professional and personal goals, their audience’s needs, their objectives for thought leadership, and more. 

But none of this stuff matters if you don’t write. 

And the thing is, writing — like, actually writing, the human way — helps you figure out what you REALLY want to say.

I think people often imagine writing as the result of having figured out what you want to say. But it’s kind of the opposite.

The very act of figuring out what to say and how to say it is part of the process, not just because of the written outcome, but because of the ways it challenges you to think critically about your ideas, to examine what you want to say, to empathize with your reader and imagine their point of view, and more. 

To put it simply, writing is thinking. Writing helps you think better. It makes your ideas better.

On the flip side, you can think forever about a topic but if you don’t write about it, don’t share it, it isn’t going to go very far. 

So, the act of writing is an unmissable, unskippable step. 

And this is why, above all, I encourage people to write. 

Write badly. (And I’m willing to bet you’re better than you think!) Stumble along. And keep going. 

When you already have a consistent writing and publishing practice down pat, it will become clearer to you where you can improve, and what resonates with your audience (and what doesn’t). 

Your brand will naturally start to take a more refined shape, and it will become easier for you to dial into the topics that represent you best and that you are most aligned with. 

The best strategy documents in the world are no replacement for actual doing. 

(This, by the way, is why I don’t operate strictly as a consultant, but as a communications partner — writing and editing in collaboration with my clients. I could just tell you what to do but it is more important to me to make sure we get the thing done, written, and out the door. And if we do it together, I make sure of that.)

And I get it: writing is hard enough. Making the time. Doing the uncomfortable thing. Prioritizing this even when it feels unproductive or less pressing than whatever else is breathing down your neck at the moment. 

Recognizing that, I’m also aware that the more roadblocks we put in front of your writing, the less likely it is you’re going to achieve your writing goals. Simple as that. 

So my goal is to remove as many obstacles as possible. 

So, take your roadblocks off the table: Perfectionism. Overscheduling or unrealistic schedules. Complex systems, templates, or strategies. You name it. If they aren’t working for you, ditch ‘em!

Write something. Let it be shitty. Do it again.