5 easy writing techniques — inspiration for the daily grind
This was first published on my blog www.juliapeglow.com

- On talk-thinkers and word-thinkers
My wonderful colleague Florian recently said it: Sprechdenken. It’s a German word that describes how he uses speech (Sprechen) to formulate his thoughts (Denken). In that same spirit of freestyle compounds, we might call him a “talk-thinker” or perhaps an “extro-concepter.” You know, those people who derive their inspiration from hashing it out with others. It’s a very likeable and transparent technique, because you invite others to partake in your thought process. It’s like getting to watch a chef at work in the kitchen. But not everyone belongs to that group. There are others who, after hours and even days of silence, simply open their mouths and out comes the solution, the insight or the result — at any rate a finished product. These people do their thinking on the inside, so we’ll call them “thought-thinkers” or “intro-concepters.” Wondering where I fit into this scheme and after numerous rough drafts, I finally hit on the solution. I belong to the “word-thinkers.” Unless I have a writing utensil in my hand or my fingers on a keyboard, my brain is not producing any original thoughts. Notes are my constant companion, at work, during meetings, while I’m thinking — otherwise I might forget something. Drawing sketches and writing are just how I process information.
- A proven method for this early thinking-by-writing phase: the sketchbook. I have two. One for everyday work notes, the other for my “big ideas.” The golden rule: Always take your sketchbooks with you, wherever you go. ALWAYS. That includes business trips when you’re trying to pack lightly. All trips, actually, because travelling is inspiring and it clears your mind for new ideas, even when you’re just sitting at the airport or in a taxi or a client’s meeting room. By taking notes and sketching out your thoughts, you’ll become better at listening to yourself and picking out the great ideas from all the white noise swirling around in your head.

2. Linear activity versus abstract thought
Writing helps me sort out my thoughts; I even rely on it to piece together a cohesive argument. Maybe it’s because writing sets the perfect tempo, no matter whether I use a pen or type. What’s more, just like reading, it is a linear activity. In a time when our professional lives are hectic and complicated, and our workdays are spent pondering abstract tables, matrixes, and models, one could easily argue this sort of continuous, linear activity is an incredible luxury. But in reality, our lives are an entirely linear affair, including time (or at least our experience of it) and our actions. Just like our mothers always told us, “First things first” or “One step at a time.” We are basically wired for linearity, yet for some reason we are constantly tempted by abstract models. Writing and reading take complexity and transform it back into something we can understand. That’s why for me they have such a reassuring effect in terms of getting my ideas in order.
- An effective method for translating abstract ideas into a clear line of thought: a presentation. The strict linearity of charts also makes this a great method for developing a clear concept or approach. But it also has been severely misunderstood — who hasn’t seen scores of PowerPoint presentations riddled with figures and diagrams.

3. Meaning and the big picture
Writing is where I can shift from the scattered details of everyday business (in my case the daily operations of an internationally-oriented design agency) to a meaningful whole. For me, that’s an essential prerequisite for engaging with topics on a higher level. Even with all the proposals, deadlines, sales figures, appointments, calls, forecasts, and everything else, it is what lets me grasp the big picture, slip into a different perspective, and see where things are actually headed. More importantly, it helps me to see the meaning of it all. Why I do what I do. What I’m actually looking for. What’s driving me to look for it. What I want to change. And that — yes, all that, dear reader — is what keeps me going. I’m talking about genuine, deep-down inspiration.
- One good method to discover and generate meaning is to start with the right questions. In business, we tend to focus on the “how” and ask questions like “How should we make this new product?” or “How can we reach our target audience?” It’s funny that those questions rarely start with “why” or “what.” For example, “Why did we choose this approach?” or “What are we actually talking about here?” Asking these questions will help us start moving toward real meaning. Another effective technique is to write down these important questions. Later they can become part of a vision or manifest. An inspiring read on this topic is Simon Sinek’s Start With Why.

4. Tuning in to yourself
Writing or engaging with topics on a higher level also harbors an interesting side effect: those moments where we come face to face with ourselves. Why’s that important? Because we often tend to lose sight of ourselves in the midst of the daily grind. In a professional context, that lost connection can take the form of total identification with a company. A friend of mine who is an company rep and financial controller once described this very feeling, “I’ve been representing the business interests of my company for so long and I have gotten so used to thinking from that perspective that I honestly no longer know what I think.”
We also feel alienated from our work because we create less and less. Today, if we’re talking about our ilk, we spend the bulk of our days juggling meetings and conference calls, and in the in-between moments, we have time to sort through some emails in our overflowing inbox. When it comes to actual “work,” or developing an idea, formulating a concept, there is never enough time (though I’m always astounded by the number of friends and colleagues who swear by working-from-home days for better productivity).
Because our work moves at an increasingly fast pace, we are often scrambling to turn out all kinds of deliverables, under constant pressure to perform, but we rarely have time left over to think. To read up on a certain topic or to spend time truly figuring things out. To take a thought and just run with it, and maybe even bring it to fruition. With all the everyday stress and pressure, it is incredibly easy to forget ourselves as well as our own thoughts, ideas, goals, and convictions.
- An effective method for staying in touch with yourself, for sticking with those big ideas and finding ways to make them even bigger is reading. And not just whatever random news happens to come your way, i.e. the daily paper, newsletters, industry gossip, and your LinkedIn and Facebook feeds. Reading requires you to submit to a linear, well-ordered flow and genres like non-fiction and specialized literature will allow you to get more macro with a variety of topics. Books are repositories for all of humanity’s hard-won knowledge and wisdom. They help us find our way back to ourselves and reassure us that we’re not alone with our own slurry of thoughts. Books are inspiring! To make sure I can enjoy those rays of light again and again, I underline passages, use sticky notes, and even dog-ear some pages.

5. Inspire yourself. Inspire others.
At some point, I realized that what I write and the space and the thoughts I find in writing are not only inspiring to me, they also have an effect on others. That is one of the best things of all about the written word. The realization that I am not the only seeker of meaning and inspiration. Instead, that pursuit leaves me in the best of company, joined by my colleagues, clients, friends, and my husband. I have even discovered that the communication formats I’ve established for my job are a great way to motivate my own employees and provide orientation and a sense of direction.
- This is where companies, teams, and individuals need to find their own modes for telling and retelling their stories. Dynamic, serial formats lend themselves especially well to this pursuit. Think PR, websites, and blogs. Of course, these different formats can be used in turn and supplement each other. Variety lets me paint a broader picture, one with a higher level of abstraction than I can achieve in my day-to-day work; it’s a more philosophical level, and it allows me to link what I do to other dimensions and to create historical, cultural, or societal connections. In the process, I hope to find inspiration and maybe even end up inspiring others — my dear colleagues and employees, my partner, my clients, and loyal friends.
