The Trifold Thought Process
Move a raw reaction through private, semi-private and public before you publish it
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 72%
The Trifold Thought Process is a three-stage pipeline for taking a thought from raw impulse to considered public expression. Stage one is the private journal, where thoughts are rawest: this is where you rant, work things out, and move from a place of instant reactivity to digestion, often realising mid-page why something triggered you. Stage two is an optional middle step of feeling things out in conversation with people close to you or your community, testing the idea before it's public; Specter notes this step can sometimes be skipped when it risks diluting the point. Stage three is the public forum, a blog, newsletter or podcast, where the now-digested thought comes out in a form that's considerate of others and opens a wider conversation. The mechanism protects both you and your audience: the self-indulgent, windier material gets voiced and metabolised privately, and only the considered residue reaches the public.
Origin
Extracted from Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal. Francesca Specter, a lifestyle journalist and lifelong journaler, described the process she uses to avoid being 'entirely self-indulgent' when deciding what belongs in a private journal versus a public blog or newsletter.
Core principles
- 01Raw reactions deserve voicing, but not necessarily in public
- 02Journaling digests instant reactivity into perspective
- 03A middle step of trusted conversation tests an idea before broadcast
- 04Public writing should be considerate of a wider conversation, not self-indulgent
- 05The privacy of writing for yourself is what creates honesty
How to run it
- 1
Journal it raw
Get the reaction out on the private page where thoughts are rawest, ranting if needed. Thinking happens as you write.
Pro tip Keep writing past the initial reaction; the insight usually arrives further down the page.
- 2
Digest into perspective
As you journal, watch yourself move from 'how dare they' to 'why did that make me feel like that', reaching a calmer, contextualised read.
Pro tip Name the emotion you were triggered by; it loosens its grip.
- 3
Optionally test in conversation
Feel the idea out with someone close or your community to sense-check it before it goes public.
Pro tip Skip this step when the idea is sharp and a committee would only dilute it.
- 4
Shape it for the public
Take the digested thought to your blog, newsletter or podcast in a form that considers other people and invites a wider conversation.
Pro tip If a line only serves your ego, it belonged in the journal, not the post.
Watch out Publishing straight from raw reaction is what fills feeds with self-indulgent venting.
In the wild
Specter describes catching a slight from someone and pouring the raw reaction into her journal: how ridiculous of them, how dare they. As she keeps writing she hits a turn: 'wait a second, why did that make me feel like that? Am I just being triggered?' By the bottom of the page she's moved from instant reactivity to a calmer read that maybe she was being sensitive, or maybe they had context. Only the digested version, if any, would later inform something she'd share publicly.
→ The reactive impulse is metabolised privately; the public output is considered rather than raw.
Common mistakes
Publishing the raw reaction
Taking a triggered thought straight to a public forum skips digestion and produces self-indulgent or regrettable content.
Over-consulting the middle step
Running every idea past your community can dilute a sharp point until it says nothing.
Is it for you?
Best for
Writers, creators and anyone who processes emotion or ideas in public and wants a filter between impulse and publish.
Not ideal for
Time-sensitive factual reporting where immediacy matters more than reflection.
From the transcript
“There needs to be writing in your private journal, and that's where your thoughts are rawest, that is where you're thinking as you're writing.”
“You move forward from a place of instant reactivity to a place of okay, I've digested this a bit.”
From the episode
Alonement: How To Be Alone And Happy - Francesca Specter
Francesca Specter