One of the wildest thoughts I have had recently is that everyone should write a book. Not for the public, but for themselves.
Once you accumulate ample work and life experiences, which can be anywhere between 10-15 years, create a list of 10-15 things that have profoundly impacted you over the last decade.
These can be ideas that inspired you the most, experiences that taught you invaluable lessons, and projects and experiments you passionately pursued—both professionally and personally.
Write 15-20 pages for each topic. Before you know it, you’ll have a 150-200 page book.
Take one topic and go deep. Compile and distill everything you have learned about it and use your sources generously. Include interesting ideas related to the topic that you have come across and imbibed from other books, articles, and podcasts.
Repeat this for the rest of the topics.
You don’t have to publish the book. Having a PDF or a printed copy is sufficient.
Now, you have a refined, concise handbook of what you fundamentally care about and what has shaped your mind over the last 10 years. This can be one of the best ways to self-reflect.
It goes without saying, there will be people who are traveling or about to travel your path, and they are likely to find it invaluable. So, feel free to make it public. You never know—if there’s enough interest, a publisher might come knocking. But that’s not the intent 🙂
Parth Choudhury 