Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has a surprisingly simple solution. And no—it’s not an app, a planner, or a productivity hack.

It’s a pen.

And a notebook. (this kind)

That’s it.

Sam carries a spiral-bound 100-page notebook and a Muji 0.3 gel pen—and he fills one notebook every two weeks.

Why?

✍️ Because writing is his tool for clear thinking.

Here’s his simple but powerful process:

✅ Meet lots of people → spark fresh ideas

✅ Take time alone → write it all down

✅ Repeat → daily, consistently, without fail

Writing slows your thoughts down.

It forces you to engage with your ideas, question them, clarify them.

You don’t need to be a great writer.

You just need to write—to think better.

“Want to be a clear thinker? Write.”

So here’s your challenge:

📓 Get a notebook

🖊 Use a pen you love

🕒 Take 10 minutes a day to write your thoughts out