The lifehacking blog Dumb Little Man recently had a list of reasons to write things down. For example:

• The act of writing helps your memory
• Written words form a permanent record
• Writing shows you’re serious
• Writing keeps you accountable
• You can work through things in writing

All good things, some of which I’ve discussed here. For example, in “The value of writing things down,” I said that writing is a memory aid, a way of solidifying and reusing information, and a way of off-loading the burden of precision and recollection.

Writing helps you clarify your thoughts, which can be cloudy things, and capture creative ideas, which are fleeting.

But there are other things writing is good for. Body and mind, for example. Journaling is widely hailed as boosting your mental health. In “Writing helps cancer patients,” I pointed out research that shows the therapeutic benefits of writing.

I posted the question “Why do you write things down?” on Twitter, and here are some of the replies I got:

• "To believe them, or prove them. Or imagine them. Or forget them. Or just see them clearly–I taught myself to read at about 3. It’s a great question."
• “I write to remember, to share and, most importantly, to stay sane.”
• “I write things down cos I got CRS [Can’t Remember $#!+]. I got CRS from my kids. Of course, I can’t remember where I put what I wrote down.”
• “To remember them.”

Why do you write things down?