How Writing Twice a Week Changed My Life (But Not How I Expected)

(3 min read)

I’ll reveal a controversial approach below, but first, some context.

People talk all the time about the benefit of attracting a social media following and especially of attracting a list of email subscribers.

Having an audience (and being about to influence others) can lead to a lot of perks.

I’ve had friends with big followings and have seen the benefits they’ve enjoyed.

However, there’s a benefit of having a writing habit that doesn’t get mentioned as often.

Forcing yourself to write forces yourself to contemplate.

To clarify.

To ask yourself what’s important.

In the first part of 2024, having been laid off for the 2nd Christmas in a row, I didn’t have a job and wasn’t sure I wanted to look for one.

Could I start my own business? Doing what?

So I started writing here on Substack twice a week.

That habit did not lead to the business ideas or opportunities that I hoped it might.

But it did force me to think.

One article I wrote back in April 2024 remains front of mind for me:

It has only gotten 12 likes so far, but if you’re here reading this newsletter series about financial freedom and haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it.

Writing these newsletter posts (especially that one) led me to have clearer thoughts about decisions in my life.

Before I forget, take a look at these 2 related posts too:

So, why has that post stayed front of mind for me, and how has it affected my decisions?

Goals:

• financial freedom as soon as possible (being able to live a comfortable lifestyle without feeling obligated to do what other people want me to do)

• maximizing upside while minimizing downside risk

I wish I could relive my 20s and take bigger risks back then.

But I can’t.

So Katie and I now are trying to:

1. live beneath our means

   1. keep postponing buying a 2nd car (and it’ll probably be one from 2010)

   2. minimize trips

   3. minimize spending by using local “Buy Nothing” groups, etc.

2. maintain a comfortable portion of our assets in a mixed portfolio of index funds diversified globally and across asset classes (and not expect much upside or downside from it)

3. invest each new paycheck into Bitcoin (yep, that means I got a stable job)

If Bitcoin crashes permanently, it will suck. But it won’t ruin us.

Hence I feel the need for both bullet points 2 and 3 (sometimes called Beta and Alpha).

The less patience you have, the more concentrated the alpha portion of your portfolio will need to be for you to have a chance of achieving your goals by your own deadline (but at greater risk of financial disaster).

We can handle many years of impermanent “losses”, holding steady and believing in the long-term view.

We’d done just #2 for too long, and it looked like Financial Freedom would take forever to achieve.

I feel better about our current approach.

Side note:

I’m selling a domain. Even though GoDaddy appraises it at $1,139, I’d sell it for $19 or highest offer.

I originally had ideas for a project that I’ve decided not to prioritize.

My loss will be someone else’s gain.

Do I know anyone who is into Bitcoin (even just interested in it) who isn’t a supporter of Dictator Trump, oligarchies, etc?

Send me an email (or a comment) just saying something like “+1 progressive AND curious about Bitcoin” if so.

Otherwise I guess I’ll just keep feeling alone in this way. 😐

The current administration is beyond despicable. It’s a worldwide emergency.

As for Bitcoin, it seems like one of the most important inventions ever, and its widespread adoption seems inevitable to me, which I think will be an advantage for humanity.

Since I’ve already watched a ton of videos about Bitcoin, I don’t tend to learn much in them anymore.

But these 2 videos by Joe Burnett are the best I’ve seen in a while.

Interesting!

👉 How early are you to bitcoin? Only 5 in 100,000 people hold $100,000+ in bitcoin youtu.be/s5H2xQiXZ6M

👉 Elon Musk on AI, abundance & the future of money–but he missed something big youtu.be/Zsak2Ws5UIs

Michael Saylor, the world’s biggest proponent of Bitcoin, said on CNBC:

“I don’t think anybody’s ever lost money in the Bitcoin network holding four years.”

He knows more about Bitcoin than almost anybody, so he almost definitely knew the exact data. I’m not sure why he said “I think” or why he rounded to “4” years.

But I was curious to fact-check him.

So I wrote some code.

And then I also built a spreadsheet as an independent double-check of my code.

My response to his tweet: https://x.com/rwalsh06/status/1897476282142875700 1

https://github.com/ryancwalsh/bitcoin_timeseries/

And he was correct.

100% of people who have held Bitcoin for at least 3.2 years (any 3.2-year span since its inception) would have at least broken even.2

Looking back, I realize writing didn’t give me the business idea or opportunity I thought I was searching for.

But perhaps it gave me something more valuable.

Clarity.

Clarity about what matters to me.

Clarity about what I’m hoping for. And what I’m willing to do (or not do) while aiming for it.

I can’t relive my 20s. But I can sit quietly and do this work:

Writing forces you to sit with your thoughts long enough to sort out the noise from what’s really important.

I think it will change the trajectory of my life.

And a 1-degree shift now extrapolated over many years will mean quite a different destination.

If you’re feeling stuck, unsure what your next move is, or wrestling with big decisions—try writing.

Not for an audience. For yourself.

Publish it if you want, but even if nobody reads it, the act of putting your thoughts in order might surprise you.

P.S. If posts like this are useful for you, tap ❤ or drop me a quick reply. I’m still writing regularly, but I only publish here when I know it’s making a difference.