No matter whether they are writing novels, nonfiction books, articles or whatever, all writers rely to some degree at least on carrying out research, which they then use as the foundation for the written work that they produce.  Typically they use numerous sources of information,  so that they can check and cross-check their facts, and then they organize these details and present them in order; in context; and, of course, in their own words.

Even if you have no particular aspiration to be an author, this same process is one that works extremely well whenever you want to learn about something new, whether that something happens to be how to improve your golf swing, how to create a resume or how to run your own business.

Often when we want to start learning something new, especially if it is something complicated or in-depth like how to start a business, it can be hard to know where to start.  Our thoughts are all over the place and the whole subject just feels overwhelming.  By breaking it down and organizing it logically as a writer would, however, it all becomes clearer and more straightforward.

In addition, the mere fact of writing things down in your own words helps to retain information.  Who knows, by the time you have learned about your subject, you might even have created a saleable “how to” book to teach others!