Shitty First Drafts: The Secret to Getting Unstuck

or "How I Learned to Love the Worst Draft"

We’ve all been there. Blank page, blinking cursor, and that creeping feeling of dread. Whether it’s a report, an email, a presentation, or a post like this one, sometimes getting started is the hardest part. That little voice in your head tells you it has to be perfect from the jump. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.

Anne Lamott, in her book Bird by Bird, coined the phrase “shitty first draft.” She describes it as the rough, messy, and completely unfiltered version of your work—the kind no one ever sees. It’s where you get your thoughts down without worrying about how polished they sound. Because the truth is, the real work comes later.

The magic of the shitty first draft is that it frees you from perfectionism. You’re not trying to impress anyone. You’re just getting the ideas out. And once they’re out, your brain can keep working on them in the background. I’ve found that stepping away—even for a few hours or overnight—can lead to those sudden flashes of insight when you least expect them. The next time you sit down, it’s not a blank page anymore. It’s something you can shape.

This isn’t just for writing. I’ve noticed the same thing happens when I do crossword puzzles. I’ll stare at a clue, convinced I’ll never get it. Then I walk away, and later, while I’m doing something totally unrelated, the answer pops into my head. It’s like my brain was still working on it in the background without me realizing it. The same thing happens with writing.

When I have a big presentation or a challenging piece of writing to do, I try to start at least a week in advance. I’ll bang out a shitty first draft, knowing it’s not even close to good. Then I revisit it a couple of times a day, tweaking and refining. After a couple of days, something shifts. Suddenly, I see things I didn’t see before. I find better words, clearer ideas, sharper points. The version I end up with is so much better than if I had tried to get it all right the first time.

The trick is trusting the process. Your brain is an incredible problem-solving machine, and sometimes it just needs space to do its thing. Letting that first draft sit for a bit can be like giving your brain an assignment and telling it to check back later with the answer.

So, the next time you’re staring at the blinking cursor, give yourself permission to write something terrible. No one has to see it. You can clean it up later. Let your brain do its thing, and trust that each pass will get you closer to something you’re proud of.

And hey, this post? Shitty first draft. Probably second or third, too. But it’s out there now.

#WritingTips #Productivity #ShittyFirstDraft