September 1 is World Letter Writing Day, an occasion that “encourages people worldwide to pick up a pen, grab a piece of paper, and write a letter.”
According to the holiday’s website, Australian author Richard Simpkin founded World Letter Writing Day in 2014. It all started when he began writing to individuals he considered to be “Australian Legends.”
The responses he received eventually became the basis for his book, Australian Legends. Inspired by the experience, Simpkin created World Letter Writing Day as a way to celebrate the art of letter writing.
In a digital age where emails, texts, snaps, DMs, and the like dominate how we communicate, making the effort to put pen to paper and craft a thoughtful handwritten letter is a rarity. But should it be?
I recently spoke with a high-profile high school athlete shortly after he announced his college commitment. Having been heavily recruited by some of the biggest names in college sports, his decision was under intense scrutiny. I asked him what ultimately drew him to his choice.
His answer surprised me.
He said plenty of coaches sent him texts and DMs, but the coaches at the school he chose always followed up with personalized, handwritten notes after every visit, phone call, and in‑person interaction. To him, those handwritten notes showed the depth of their interest. I understood exactly what he meant.
I make a point of sending a handwritten note to the event organizers after every event I speak at, hoping to convey the depth of my appreciation.
Handwritten letters have a unique appeal, in part because of the tactile experience they provide. Physical mail engages multiple senses: the weight of the paper, the texture of the stationery, and the visual quality of handwriting. Multisensory experiences create stronger, more lasting memories than single-sense digital interactions.
Another reason involves what psychologists call the effort heuristic, the tendency to assign more value to things that require more effort to create.
Writing a letter by hand requires extra time, effort, and attention. You’re forced to slow down and think intentionally about what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. There are no backspaces, undo buttons, or CTRL+Zs to rely on.
It’s not the most efficient or convenient way to communicate. Yet your willingness to put forth that additional effort and endure the inconvenience adds the sort of personal touch that endears you to the recipient.
Someone willing to do that is likely to be the type of person willing to be invested in you. And that’s where handwritten letters intersect with the art of being a good teammate.
Good teammates are invested. They willingly give more of their time, energy, and attention because they want the people around them to know they matter.
Sometimes that investment comes through grand gestures. More often, though, it reveals itself through small inconveniences: staying a few minutes longer to help, checking on a teammate who seems off, remembering an important detail, or taking the extra time to write a personal note instead of firing off a quick text.
Efficiency asks, “What’s the easiest way for me to do this?” Investment asks, “What will mean the most to them?”
The coaches recruiting that young athlete could have communicated the same information in a text or DM. But they chose a more personal way to communicate it, and that extra effort communicated something beyond the words themselves: You matter enough for us to be inconvenienced.
That’s a powerful message to receive from a teammate.
So, in honor of World Letter Writing Day, consider writing a letter to someone on your team. Thank them. Encourage them. Tell them why you appreciate them.
The words will matter. But the effort you put into writing them might say even more.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
