#8 Why I write every day

Or why quantity matters when learning

The first day of class, a photography professor randomly divided the class into two groups - ‘quantity’ and ‘quality’. At the end of the semester, the ‘quantity’ group is graded based on the number of photos submitted, regardless of how good they are. Students get an A if they submit 100 photos, B if they submit 90 photos, and C if 80. The ‘quality’ group, on the other hand, is graded based on the excellence of their work. They only need to submit 1 photo but it needs to be great to get an A.

Which group do you think produced better photos?

At the end of the semester, the professor found that the best photos were taken by students in the quantity group. These students took hundreds of photos, experimented with lighting and composition. They iterated and honed their skills. As a result, they became much better photographers. The quality group focused on what they perceived was a “perfect” photo and ended up with mediocre results.

I believe the best way to improve is to practice every day and learn through experimentation. Instead of focusing on writing 1 perfect essay in a month, I focus on writing 30 different essays. I know that not all of my writing is great, but the point is to iterate my way to become a great writer. That’s why over the last 137 days, I wrote 137 essays on a range of topics I’m interested in - from tech to business, to habit building and sports. With each essay, I learn something new. With each essay, I become a better writer. That's why I write every single day.

I learned about the story from this book.