Pen ✒ vs Pencil ✏- Start with pencil

the disease of perfectionism and struggle to start something

Recently, I was writing a letter for my cousin sister, who needed help with a legal matter. The specifics of the letter aren’t relevant to today’s topic.

Let me confess: I procrastinated for a while — two days, to be exact.

Chat-jippity had already crafted the letter for me, but transferring it to paper became a mental hurdle. The first two attempts to write it by hand felt painful, or at least, they seemed that way. I felt time-bound to finish the task, and as a result, I got discouraged and found myself negotiating with my own reluctance whenever I thought about starting again.

Then, an idea struck me:

“Why don’t I start with a pencil? That way, I can correct my mistakes later.”

I know what you’re thinking: Why didn’t she start with a pencil in the first place?

It might be a natural thought for you, or maybe it’s already a process you follow, but for someone like me, this was a revelation. It took me back to my school days.

I remembered how we used to have rough books in school — where we’d do all the rough work, filtering out unnecessary parts before making the fair copy.

I had to remind myself to return to that mindset that once came so naturally.

It made me realize that mistakes can always be corrected later. But starting and finishing the rough work is essential — if only for your own peace of mind.

P.S. I finished writing this post before I completed the letter. So, I’m hardly an inspiration to anyone. Don’t listen to me.

But maybe try it next time you found yourself in similar situation.

#Thoughts