Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1228IR // #c1228Synthesis

"…he wouldn’t be able to write a single sentence if he didn’t start by convincing himself he was only writing down some ideas for himself, and that maybe he could turn it into something publishable later."

— In our words · Source: How to Take Smart Notes (Sönke Ahrens)

[Use when]

The importance of a piece of writing is keeping you from starting it.

[Why it matters]

Slavoj Žižek said this in an interview about how he starts. Lowering the stakes in your own head gets the words moving. By the time he stopped, the only thing left was revising the draft he already had.

Filed under situations:When you’re stuck and running on emptyWhen you’re building the thing, not just planning it

More from How to Take Smart Notes

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Same situation, different book

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