I stole this because it stuck with me so well
“Tesla doesn’t make cars. Tesla makes factories that make cars.” – Elon Musk
The best writing is not a result. It’s a byproduct.
Your favorite writers don’t sit down in front of a blank page and hammer out beautiful essays from scratch – just like Tesla doesn’t make each car one by one from the ground up.
Instead, Tesla invests in building factories (systems) that make great cars (the result) inevitable (a byproduct).
And the best writers do this as well. They invest their time building a writing system that makes great writing inevitable.
And there are 5 crucial parts of your writing system:
1. High-quality inputs.
Your writing is a function of what you consume – books, articles, tweets, podcasts, TV shows, and conversations. So invest the time to build information streams that serve you high-quality information on autopilot.
2. Effortless idea capture.
You can’t write about something unless you capture the idea the moment it strikes. So set up idea capture systems everywhere – notebooks, shower whiteboards, iPhone apps, and a weekly routine to review each idea that allows you to put your full trust in the system.
3. Taking long walks.
60-minute daily walks are the ultimate creative cheat code. 90% of my writing happens during long walks – it’s where I listen, think, and outline. And this process prevents me from ever starting at a blank page.
4. Creating a writing routine.
With all of these ideas swirling around, you need a time and place to refine them. So design your routine with intention – where you write, when you write, and for how long you write. Then, stick to it every day.
5. Multiple creative outlets.
And finally, every idea should have an ideal creative outlet. Tweets, Atomic Essays, threads, blog posts, journal entries, newsletters, podcasts – having a place to explore any idea gives your mind the confidence and freedom to explore anything and everything.
So start thinking like Tesla. Less focus on the result, more focus on the system.