Okay so let me just explain why I suddenly decided to try writing everything in plain English without any symbols or emojis. Honestly? Felt kinda tired of my own chatty writing style.
How It Started
This morning I grabbed my coffee like usual and opened my notes app thinking I’d jot down yesterday’s thoughts. But scrolling through old entries… damn. Every paragraph was filled with random brackets—[thoughts like this]—and emojis bursting out everywhere ✨🙌🌱. It looked like a glitter bomb exploded on my notes. Messy. Distracting. So I mumbled to myself: “Fine. No more symbols. No emojis. Just raw English words. Period.“
Putting Words On The Page
Started simple. Wanted to describe the warm coffee cup in my hands. My fingers typed:
- The dark coffee feels warm against my palms. The smell is rich and smoky.
Immediately I felt the urge to add (like REALLY warm☕💥). I stopped. Deleted the parentheses and fire emoji. Just kept typing the plain sentence instead. The description stood alone. Felt… clean. But also kinda naked. Like I took away its flashy clothes.
Next test: writing frustration. Normally I’d scream into my notes like: Aggghhh my brain feels foggy today 😵💫☁️💢. Instead, I forced:
- My mind feels sluggish today. Forming clear thoughts is an effort.
It sounded colder. Almost clinical. But also… more honest. No hiding behind dramatics.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
After forcing myself through five full paragraphs:
- Pro: Each word mattered more. Couldn’t shortcut with a thumbs up 👍 or a crying emoji 😭 to show mood.
- Con: MAN was it dry at first. Felt like writing a robot’s diary.
- Pro: My vocab fought back! Needed “exhausting” instead of 😩, “joyful” instead of 🎉.
- Con: Kept instinctively typing parentheses or dashes – muscle memory kicked in hard.
The biggest pain? Expressing sarcasm without /s. Just had to write: “That was such a brilliant plan.” and trust the reader gets it. Risky.
What Actually Changed
Two hours into this experiment, my brain shifted. Writing became slower. More deliberate. Choosing precise words felt heavy. Instead of dumping “[LOL this chaos!]” I wrote:
- This situation devolved into predictable absurdity.
Heavier? Yeah. But carrying its own weight without crutches. And by afternoon notes? The sentences started flowing smoother, sharper.
Did I slip? Oh hell yes. Old habits die hard. Typed “energy crash 🛑⚡” at 3pm. Immediately highlighted and rewrote:
- My energy plummeted suddenly after lunch.
Way better. No flashing symbols needed.
Final Thoughts… For Now
Am I keeping this forever? Probably not. Emojis are fun sometimes. But forcing myself to rely purely on words was a kick in the teeth I needed. My writing wasn’t lazy before… but it definitely hid behind symbols and emojis like a safety net. Ripping that net off made me feel each sentence’s bones. It’s harder, for sure. But like that second cup of bitter black coffee? Feels like it cleared out some junk. Maybe I’ll try it again tomorrow.