How writing improves your learning

Well, we are all lifelong learners.

We do that because we want to achieve our goals: to solve more complex problems, earn a certificate, or just discover new things. We want to create something meaningful by raising our skills up to the level of our ideas.

But the learning process can vary from person to person, and given my current level of knowledge, I can’t say that one is better than the other.
In any case, the process of learning can be both passive and active. Let’s zoom in a bit.

Passive learning

Passive learning is about reading books and articles and watching (just watching) courses and YouTube tutorials. This gives us tons of raw information that only starts to make sense if you take the next step and put it into actions.

Active learning

Active learning is any hands-on practice or action, complemented by theory from passive learning. First we feed our brains with theory, then we test how it fits with current realities. At the very least, active learning yields experience—knowledge gained through trial and error—that stays with us. But don’t stop there; continue from there. And writing about it, in your own words and through the lens of your experience, will be a perfect next step.

The best writing is built on multiple theoretical sources and at least one practical project, expressed in your own way.

Writing

When you start writing, you begin to actively approach this topic, bringing priceless benefits.

Finding your gaps

It’s natural to learn by reading how others write. Their perspectives can offer valuable insights—you may realize you have knowledge gaps you need to fill first. This also enriches your vocabulary on the topic and helps you see it from different angles.

Strenghtening the existing knowledge

When you write about a topic you worked through a long time ago, you probably don’t remember the details—or even the key concepts—anymore. But that knowledge isn’t really gone (of course, depending on how much time has passed...); it’s still in your brain, just stored more “deeply” than the things that are more accessible. When you try to retrieve that “forgotten” knowledge (the best approach is to recall it yourself, though it takes more time and effort), you let your brain re-encode it and keep it in a “fast-access” state for longer, because successful retrieval signals to your brain that the information is valuable. More about that in book Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning.

Making a "snapshot" of your current vision

We all see the same thing differently over time. Those perspectives make sense given the circumstances we’re in, our knowledge, and our overall experience. Writing creates a snapshot of your current perspective; it lets you express a part of yourself in its current state through this topic. In the future, you can return to what you’ve written, and the “diff” between your current state and your next one might really surprise you.

Making your own product

You’re forming material gathered from passive learning and personal experience into a higher-level product.

It not only becomes part of your portfolio and a “seed” you plant in the world, but it also forms a new kind of material that didn’t exist before. When you write from multiple sources plus your own hands-on work, you create higher-level value—unique to this world—because it contains carefully “cherry-picked” insights from elsewhere.

Expanding your network

Having finished, you’re thinking about sharing your work. To share it effectively, you’ll explore the landscape of platforms where you can post and learn how their ecosystems work, which will connect you with new sources, people, and ideas.

Conclusion

When you write, you’re doing important long-term contribution into the world.

You’re creating a new stream in your life and letting others consume it. You’re giving back the value the community has already given you. You’re creating something new.

Now, go write. Don’t keep goodness to yourself if it can be shared with the rest of the world.

Create