The Power of the Shitty First Draft

Why starting badly is the smartest move you can make

We talk a lot about motivation.
Momentum.
Clarity.

But what if the most powerful tool for getting started is something you’ve been taught to avoid?

What if the smartest thing you can do right now…
is write something terrible?

Enter: the Shitty First Draft.

Anne Lamott coined the term in her classic book Bird by Bird.
She says every writer — no matter how seasoned — begins with a “shitty first draft.”
Not because they’re bad writers.
But because that’s how real work begins.

It's ugly. It’s rambling. It’s embarrassing.

But it’s movement.

And once you’re moving, something amazing happens:
You find your second wind.

You don’t need a polished plan.

You need a messy beginning.

This isn’t just for writers.

Mark Manson calls it the Do Something Principle.
When you’re stuck, don’t wait for motivation.
Just do something — even badly — and motivation follows.

Why?
Because action creates momentum.
Momentum brings clarity.
And clarity unlocks confidence.

Confidence doesn’t precede action. It follows it.

Think of your idea like a locked door.

The shitty first draft isn’t the key.
It’s the crowbar.

It doesn’t look elegant.
It’s not impressive.
But it gets the damn thing open.

You can always refine later.
Edit later.
Polish later.

Turn coal into diamonds.

But first — you start.
You sit down and say: “Let me just write the worst paragraph I possibly can.”

And you’ll be shocked at what shows up by sentence three.

You’re not stuck because you’re lazy.

You’re stuck because you’re trying to skip the awkward part.
The messy, uncertain, vulnerable part.

But there’s no skipping it.

There’s only starting.

Badly.
Bravely.
Deliberately.

✅ Want to get moving
Give yourself the power of the shitty first draft… and let momentum do the rest.