Don't edit while you create

I tell myself this all the time. It’s still true.

Don’t edit while you create. It shifts your focus from output to outcome. From what you want to say to what others will hear.

The trigger is the backspace button. When I press it too many times, I know I’ve switched modes. Plain text helps. Markdown. No formatting to fiddle with. Just words.

First focus on what you want to say. Get it out. Go on tangents. Let it be messy.

Then focus on what you want others to hear. That’s when you craft. Remove parts. Shape it.

But if you enter that mode too early, you lose the interesting bits. The analogies you haven’t thought through yet.

Edit when you’re ready to share. Not before.