As university students, most of us have been writing for the majority of our lives, whether it’s for an exam, academic papers or just sending an email. We write almost every day; it’s an essential part of our education. While I previously may have thought I would never have to stress the importance of writing to a bunch of students, recent trends have caused me to change my mind. 

It’s not a secret that in recent years we’ve been thinking for ourselves less and less. We are lacking reliance on human skills and more on technology to aid us in everyday life. Artificial intelligence is ruining our writing efficiency, and short-form media is ruining our attention spans. I see evidence of this in my friends, peers and even myself. 

I write for one of my jobs, my schoolwork and even in my free time. I notice how constantly distracted I am and how my grammar is affected when I rush through a paper. It seems I’m always in a hurry while writing to do nothing. 

To remedy this, I consciously make an effort to write in all aspects of my life. These issues are something I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t picked up journaling as a hobby. Journaling has helped me discover a lot about myself, even beyond those bad habits. I think writing, including journaling, should be a hobby that everyone partakes in. 

Journaling has helped me work through my everyday frustrations. Sometimes, it’s tiring to be around a constant complainer, and venting my frustrations on others is not always an option. I’ve found I can use writing as an outlet, so I can vent without placing the weight of my frustrations on the shoulders of my loved ones. 

While I personally have found journaling to be very enlightening, I know that’s not the case for everyone. I’ve heard people say journaling makes them angrier or allows them to dwell too long on their problems. However, I think it’s still important that we, as students, find ways to exercise writing skills in our free time. You can write about anything; it doesn’t just have to be journaling about your life. 

I could spend all day explaining the benefits of writing, but I believe good communication skills trump them all. For students, communication is particularly important. I fear we blend casual and professional communication far too often, and that the problem is the majority of us live in our professional setting. It can be hard to leave work at the workplace and home in your apartment when many of us have only a four-minute walk to class.

I have found that practicing various forms of writing is the most effective way to address this issue. Journaling gives me the freedom to express myself without constraints, but I stay sharp professionally by always drafting my work and researching topics I enjoy. This dual approach prevents everyday slang from creeping into my academic writing. Practicing both styles has helped me master the transition between informal and formal writing. 

In 2026, we lack creativity and original thought. I can’t even imagine what the world will look like in 10 years if the reliance we have on technology continues. Practicing skills like writing is a good way to combat this learned helplessness. As someone who is a big writer, I really don’t want to see the skill fade.