Thinking can be a messy process for me. At any one point in time, there are a hundred and one things going on in my mind. These include thoughts, ideas, tasks, worries etc. Although I have no trouble staying focused, it can be hard to manage so many thoughts at once. It is therefore not surprising that ideas rarely turn out the way I imagine when I think in my head. It is only when I write down my thoughts that I can see the picture more clearly.
Distortion of Thoughts. First, my thoughts can go through a distortion process in my head, usually because of my emotions. The more emotionally invested I am in a situation, the greater the distortion to my thinking. Fear for example can make a problem seem larger than it actually is. Or my enthusiasm may make an idea seem better than it really is in my mind than in reality. All these distortions make it hard for me to think clearly or objectively. This will only lead to trouble when it comes to making good choices.
Leaking Brilliance. What’s more, when I have a lot going on my mind, I tend to forget many things, and chances are that some ideas will disappear as quickly as I had them. These flashes of brilliance might be important, but once they are gone, I may never have them again.
Messy Thoughts. Another problem with thinking in my head is messy thoughts. While I might be thinking about something, a random thought might just come along and distract me. The more uninteresting the topic is, the more vulnerable I am. And it is often the case when I am writing an essay, a paper or doing any other kind of assignment. Once I lose my train of thought, it may be difficult to come back to where I stopped.
Difficult planning. It can also be difficult for me to plan things. When I have a difficult goal to reach, it is not easy for me to work out a detailed plan and to put all the logical steps in place in my head because too much is going on at once. I often end up finding myself confused and uncertain about how to proceed
Given the problems I have with thinking in my head, I try to write my thoughts whenever I can. By doing so, I find that I can think more clearl
and objectively. Here are the reasons I find thinking and writing helps.
An Uncluttered Mind. By writing down all the ideas and thoughts I have, I remove the fog from my mind. This way, I do not need to struggle to remember important ideas. I can devote my focus to other matters that need my attention. Not only can I resolve the task, but I can come back to my notes later to deal with remaining problems.
Clarity of Thought. Writing also helps me see the pros and cons involved. I can also see how feasible an idea really is now that I have brought it out of my head into the real world. An idea may vary a lot on paper compared to when it was in my head. With my thoughts clearly written in front of my eyes, I can make an objective decision about what to do next.
Managing Emotions. Last but not least, writing down my thoughts permits me to manage my emotions. This is especially true if I am going through a difficult time. By expressing myself on paper, I can detach myself from my emotions and see them in an objective light.
I completely agree with your ‘distortion of thoughts’ part – I do the exact same thing!! If I’m upset about something, I’ll keep on thinking about it and convince myself that the situation is far worse than it actually is. Or if I’m disappointed with my performance on a project or an exam or whatever else it may be, I’ll dwell on it and think about a million ways that I could have done it better, which usually ends up making me feel like a bigger failure. It sounds so silly to write it out and admit it because I’m the one over-thinking and over-analysing, which means I have – or SHOULD have – control over it, but it’s pretty difficult when emotions are involved. I usually just get fed up eventually and try to ignore it but I’ll try writing it down next time like you said. A simple thing that I’ve never thought to do but seems like a good idea!