Is Writing Really Thinking: a deep-dive

Shreyas Doshi, a product leader known for his writing on product thinking, examines the popular claim that 'writing is thinking.' The episode argues the idea holds an important truth but is often overextended and incomplete, and explores how to use writing to become a clearer thinker.

01Key learnings

• Writing can sharpen thinking by forcing you to make vague ideas explicit and expose gaps in your reasoning.
• The claim 'writing is thinking' is useful but overextended; not all thinking happens through writing, and writing alone does not guarantee clarity.
• Treat writing as one tool among several for thinking, alongside conversation, sketching, and deliberate reflection.
• Notice when a draft feels fluent but says little; fluency can mask shallow reasoning rather than reflect real understanding.
• Use writing to test your assumptions by stating them plainly and checking whether the argument holds up on the page.
• Write to a specific reader with a clear purpose, since audience and intent shape how precisely you need to think.
• Revisit and revise your written thinking over time, treating drafts as provisional positions rather than finished conclusions.
• Developing clearer thinking is a skill that benefits product managers, who must communicate and justify decisions constantly.

02From the post

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Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.