Today’s Quote

"If you write a problem down clearly and specifically, you have already solved half of it." - John Kidlin

The scariest horror movies are the ones where the monster remains unseen. As an audience member you may hear it or see the characters' reactions to it, but a hidden antagonist is infinitely terrifying. It could be anything. How do you contend with anything?

It's not until the final moments of the movie when the mask comes off or the protagonist finally confronts the beast that you see it for what it really is: finite. A ghost, a werewolf, whatever it might be, all of its infinite horror gets distilled into a tangible thing. And poof. The fear is packaged up. It's something that can be contended with.

Ambiguity is the enemy of progress.

Like a monster in a horror movie, unmasking your life's problems makes them tamable. Nothing is more overwhelming than a problem that isn't clear. You can waste hours knowing full well you have an impending deadline, yet accomplish nothing. It's not that you lack the skills to solve your problems, it's that you haven't spent the time to recognize what exactly needs to be done.

Writing forces clarity.

Take five minutes right now. Write down one problem that's pestering you. Be specific. What exactly is wrong and what would "solved" look like?

The moment you can spell out your monster, it ceases to be.