I was sitting in the office Sunday morning, planning to write something comprehensive on how to maintain long-term consistency.
Blank screen. Blinking cursor.
I started the usual way: Roman numeral outline, structure first, before I even knew what I wanted to say. Introduction, goals, obstacles, conclusion.
The outline goes like this:
I. Introduction (Define consistency)
II. Setting Clear Goals (Why targets matter)
III. Overcoming Obstacles (What to do when you fail)
IV. Conclusion (Summary and final thoughts)
I wrote the essay. But it was flat, generic, and predictable. I noticed a problem:
The outline had decided the ideas before I found them. A structure built too early keeps unexpected material out.
Here's what I do now:
Instead of an outline, I turn to my Commonplace Book. I extract raw, unconnected ideas.
I lay out the raw ideas as modular fragments, as digital cards, so I can move them around physically or conceptually.
When I see any potential connection, I take note and write a short sentence about it.
Because the thoughts are not locked into a sequence yet, I can slide them next to each other and see what happens. And soon enough, an unexpected pattern jumps out at me. This shifts my essay in a different direction.
I read about Ludwig Wittgenstein's PKM practice this week. He externalized his thinking by constantly reshuffling atomic thoughts to let organic connections emerge. I am still sitting with what that means for how I write.
Just another coffee thought from Gav.
