"Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard." - David McCullough.

I've been reflecting on this quote a lot. Writing forces refinement of thought in a way that spontaneous speech, while authentic, doesn't allow.

Using AI more in my writing worries me; I don't want to stop thinking. AI makes it too easy to prompt, copy, and paste your way into thoughtless expression. A big part of what makes me effective is thinking deeply and writing to clarify my thoughts (or at least I like to think so). Since I’ve set a goal to use AI more at work, this is a challenge I'll navigate this year.

Podcasting with Gonto has been a new experience in natural conversation. He brings up things I haven't seen or thought deeply about, and I react in real-time. With spoken word in public, the thoughts I express might differ from what I'd write after thinking more deeply.

This experience has made me rethink writing. Starting with speech and letting AI shape the raw material can cut down the friction of a blank page and preserve the spontaneity of conversation.

Yesterday, I tried something new. I took a podcast transcript, put it through Notebook LM, and had it draft a blog post on my annual themes. I made a few tweaks and published it. It used my words, coalescing my spoken thoughts into writing without regurgitating groupthink.

For this post that you're reading right now, I tried something completely new. Instead of putting hands on the keyboard, I dictated this post entirely and collaborated with GPT's advanced voice mode to draft it. I’ve found that thoughts come out faster through speech than typing, with less live editing happening—similar to what I enjoy about podcasting with Gonto.

This is making me reconsider how I approach writing. I can preserve spontaneity while refining thoughts, reducing the friction of constant editing. None of my writing has gone viral, but it's always been meant as a way to force myself to think deeper on a topic, tactic, or principle and to put it out into the world as a marker for myself and others as something I've thought about.

Going forward, I want to explore this more—not just for blog posts, but for all kinds of content. If you liked this post, please let me know, and I'll do more of these reflections.

Cheers!