Open questions for 2023
Asking beautiful questions as a form of journaling
I always enjoyed asking a great question more than finding a great answer. There’s something about questions that gives more benefits over answers:
A great question triggers new thinking even if it stays the same.
A great question challenges assumptions about what you know.
A great question always push something forward—a conversation, a debate, an experiment—than an answer which usually close something.
I once saw a writing practice by @dickiebush that uses the power of questions as a form of journaling, instead of simply journaling. Here’s how:
My favorite way to start the month is to create an “open questions” list. I write down 10 questions I don’t have the answer to - general uncertainties about the month ahead. 95% of what weighs on me comes from these uncertainties, so it’s helpful to capture them on paper.
These are the first questions I review at the end of the month. I’m always surprised to see how many of those uncertainties ended up being trivial or sorted themselves out on their own.
And it’s also a running ledger of “growth” since 90% of growth is facing uncertainty. You can do this on different timescales too. I did it for the year ahead— and it was over 30 questions long. Can’t wait to revisit them at the end of the year. And the most powerful part is looking back at your open questions from a few years ago and realizing how almost every single one of them did not matter at all.
When I first did the open questions writing exercise last year, I enjoyed it immensely. I love how it made me list out all my doubts and uncertainties for the year, and through that, clarified those fuzzy thoughts into something I recognise and can work with. The list was also useful to look back on after a month or a year, and see which ones were inconsequential worries and which ones were important questions to keep in view.
So here goes, again. My fears and dreams, worries and wishes as open questions for the year ahead:
Survival: Will I earn enough, and survive yet another year being indie?
Money: Will I hit $5k/m revenue this year? Will abundance return?
Travel: Will we get to travel this year? Will we ever return to Bali?
Health: Is this the year where I achieve a deep sense of well-being? Will my chronic ailments return? What would it take to feel fit and whole again?
Stress: Can I manage my stress levels so that it’s not chronic?
Sleep: Will I finally nail my sleep?
Family: How do I better juggle family and work with more intention and mindfulness?
Products: Will any of my indie products ever get to ramen profitability?
Now, onwards.