I drove alone for six hours this weekend. I spent the whole time listening to David Perell’s new podcast, How I Write.
I listened to two episodes and spent the rest of the time thinking and recording the ideas that came to me while listening to the podcast.
I haven’t had one of these “Just think it” days in a while, and I realized I’m under constant stimulation. Even though I don’t spend too much time doomscrolling, I constantly read online, watch sports, talk to people, or do anything else with external stimulants. I’m less aware of when I’m alone with my thoughts.
But driving alone on the highway changes that. Driving is primarily passive at this point, allowing my mind to wander and think. This is crucial for any kind of creative endeavor. I spent the last couple of months learning about new things without ever stopping to just sit and think through what I have learned, forming new connections and gaining deeper insights and ideas.
Listening to the podcast also gave me new ideas for my writing. I paused the podcast whenever I had a new idea of what I could do, and because I was driving, I had to use the voice memo feature to record my thoughts.
I plan to go on more road trips on weekends next month and be alone with my thoughts. I guess it is a form of meditation in the new world, shutting down all the external noise to clear the noise inside.