#143 The write way

Hello, friends.

One common thread throughout Calm Capital’s companies is that of a “writing culture”. This concept, we’ve borrowed from Basecamp, Andy Grove, C.S. Lewis, and my friend Trey Miller.

The goal isn’t really to be a great writer, it’s to become a clear thinker. There’s no better way to do that than writing.

Once you’re a clear thinker, you’ll develop mental toughness, make fewer bad decisions and ultimately have better judgement (read: applied wisdom).

We desire for all of our employees and leaders to become clear thinkers and use good judgement. I also desire that for myself and my kids. So writing is a cornerstone of learning in our household that started with my amazing wife.

In addition to being an unmatched bride, she’s a fantastic mother and teacher to our homeschooled kids. From day one, she’s emphasized the importance of clear and well-communicated writing for our kid’s schoolwork. She’s taught them proper grammar, the importance of structure and editing, and more.

And I’m pretty excited to have my boys become skilled and mature enough now to adopt a writing practice we have in our companies.

That is the practice of pitching and sharing ideas via a one page memo/email. Here are a few examples.

• You want to buy gaming gear and a new computer? No problem. Write it out.
• You have an idea for a business? Great. Draft a plan for how it works.
• You want us to take a family trip to see the “World’s Largest Frying Pan” in Rose Hill, NC? Sounds fun. Tell me a tale of adventure.

Starting with these little things will help them improve their thinking. Heck, if it begins the process of thinking at all, it’s a good start. Over time, they’ll learn how to become clear thinkers — which is much more important than obtaining smarts.

Until next time,
David

P.S. Here’s an article on focus I’m sharing with our companies’ leaders next week.

P.P.S. So far, I’m really enjoying Sleeping Bear by Connor Sullivan. I started listening to it on our way back from a recent Florida trip.

P.P.P.S. I’m trying an app called Apollo focused on aggregating fiction podcasts. I wonder if curated audio apps will help people with show discovery and listening experience.