Wouldn’t it be nice to have a screenshot of your thoughts? This is exactly what freewriting can do for you.

Access your unconscious thoughts and use them to better understand yourself, the world around you, and come up with creative solutions to problems.

Freewriting, pouring your ideas and feelings on a piece of paper or screen for 10 minutes, is the easiest way to access your unconscious mind and start the habit of journaling.

Start with a question or problem.

Write down the ideas and thoughts related to the issue. Once you have all the information on a piece of paper you will discover some new information.

The secret to be successful at freewriting is to keep your expectations low and your writing fast.

The mechanical act of writing eases your mind so that you can access thoughts that are usually silenced or edited by your inner critic.

How Can Freewriting Help You?

Freewriting is a tool to transcribe your thoughts on paper. You use your body to access the information that is not so easily available in your mind.

Freewriting will help you to:

• Understand your world 
• Find opportunities and options 
• Solve problems 
• Create ideas
• Make decisions
• Become a better writer
• Explore difficult situations
• Provide clarity
• Enhance creativity

How to Get Started with Freewriting

The first step to get started with freewriting is to make it an enjoyable process.

In addition, keep your expectations low.

Don’t anticipate finding a brilliant solution to your problem the first time that you write about it. However, the more you freewrite about your problem the sooner you will find useful information.

Freewriting Tips

These are easy tips to follow for a successful and insightful freewriting experience.

Try them out and see what works for you.

Write about something that is important to you.

• Solve a problem
• Change a behavior
• Try a new approach
• Ask a question

1 – Have Low Expectations

Begin with the intention of putting some ideas and feelings on paper. This will put your mind at ease and your ideas will flow easily from your brain to the paper.

2 – Create a Writing Routine

It is best to have a set time every day to write. Early in the morning or late at night when there are less distractions around you are good options.

However, if you are not able to write every day, don’t worry about it. Start with an easy writing goal to achieve.

Writing every day for 10 minutes is a good starting point.

3 – Write Fast

Write as fast as you can so that you get your thoughts on paper.

When you write and are concerned about creating a good product, you will write slowly and will repeat what you already know. However, when you chase your thoughts and write fast, you will make new discoveries.

When you write fast, you get a glimpse of the ideas that usually are hidden in your subconscious mind because your brain is not able to censor them if you let me out quickly and follow them.

4 – Write Continuously

If you don’t stop writing, your mind won’t be able to edit every budding thought and idea that comes up in your brain.

You want to explore the thoughts that usually don’t find their way to the surface of your brain because they may not be appropriate or because you dismissed them before.

Write fast and don’t stop.

5 – Use a Timer

It is different to tell yourself that you are going to write for a few minutes than when you set your timer for 10 minutes.

Use a timer to help you generate your best ideas. Having a time limit is important for two reasons:

Firstly, you know that you have a limited amount of time to complete the task.

Secondly, this motivates you to write faster and be more focused.

This is especially important when you have to write about a difficult or complex topic. Just thinking about starting is overwhelming.

Freewriting is like a sprint. Knowing that the focused effort is only for a short period of time infuses extra energy.

You know in advance that the amount of time you will have to work is short and you give it your best effort.

Once the timer rings, you stop, even if you are in the middle of a sentence. The timer helps you to put forth your best effort in a short period of time.

This is especially important when you are tired or when you have to work on something you dislike or find boring.

Putting your thoughts on paper may free your mind but it may also provide some ideas you didn’t even know you had.

Writing for ten to twenty minutes helps to concentrate on the task at hand and the deadline motivates you to keep your mind focused.

6 – Write a Lot

The more you write, the more ideas you will have. Focus on quantity and you will find quality.

“Write with a fast, haphazard hand, because you’ll need to burn through all the awful stuff you smear onto the page in order to get to something halfway decent.”

Levy Mark

Write as fast as your hand can move or your fingers can type.

Don’t stop, you will be surprised by the ideas that will show up on the paper. This will tell your inner critic that there is nothing to worry about.

If you run out of ideas, keep repeating the last thought or the last words. Keep writing without stopping.

You will find your best thoughts mixed within your worst thoughts.

If you want to find your best ideas write a lot.

Think of writing all your thoughts down like a machine.

Freewriting is a way of chasing your thoughts without having to worry about perfection.

Ask yourself questions to explore different parts of a situation.

7 – Capture Your Thoughts

To be able to chase and catch your thoughts you need to write the way you think.

When you freewrite you write down your thoughts. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar or complete sentences. Just write down anything that comes to your mind. 

As you are writing for yourself, don’t worry about writing complete sentences.

Follow your thoughts wherever they take you. Don’t worry about logic, sequence, or a specific order.

8 – Ask Questions

Keep yourself focused by asking questions:

Explore new aspects of the problem or situation by asking questions

• What can I do differently?
• Why did I get to this point?
• How will this be helpful?
• What else can I say?
• How did I get to this situation?
• What problems can this bring?
• How can I make this more exciting?

9 – Use Writing Prompts

Writing prompts can help you to get started and explore different possibilities.

Short, unfinished phrase could be considered a writing prompt.

For example:

• What I enjoy the most about my job is…
• If I could only change one thing in my relationships I would…
• I wonder why I can’t…
• I wish I could…
• How can I help my daughter to…

10 – Explore Your Thinking

Explain to yourself why you think a certain way.

List some obvious facts about the issue. This will calm your mind.

If you feel stuck in a situation, list all the facts. This will help you see the situation clearer. Our minds can get confused by trying to make sense out of too much information.

Think about a problem you are unable to find a solution for.

Freewrite for 10 minutes about what you know about the situation. Write about what you think, what you tried, what you could try, what’s holding you back, what makes sense and what doesn’t make sense. Search for new ways to look at the problem.

Think about every thought, image or idea as a stepping stone that may lead you to the next best idea.

Think about your assumptions.

Get as many ideas as you can. Don’t try to find right away the best idea.

Freewriting is just a tool that you can use when you can’t find the solution to a problem or when you feel stuck in your life.

Writing fast and continuously let’s you access thoughts that are not easily accessible in your regular thinking process.

If you enjoyed this article and want to read more about freewriting you will enjoy this book: Accidental Genius

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