For B2+ learners whose sole goal is advanced speaking and listening, writing provides diminishing returns and is not the most efficient use of time. At this level, you likely have strong grammar control, so writing mainly reinforces what you already know rather than building the real-time processing and oral fluency you need. Direct speaking practice and targeted listening exercises will give you a much better return on investment for reaching advanced spoken proficiency.
Here is the honest tradeoff: Writing can help you organize complex thoughts and practice precise vocabulary, which indirectly supports speaking. However, the cognitive load of speaking, forming sentences under time pressure, managing pronunciation, intonation, and flow, is fundamentally different from writing. You cannot transfer written fluency directly into spoken fluency. At B2+, your bottleneck is likely automaticity and comfort with spontaneous speech, not knowledge of grammar rules.
If you spend that same hour on structured speaking practice (e.g., recording yourself answering prompts, doing timed monologues, or having conversations with a partner or tutor), you directly train the skills you want. For listening, focus on diverse audio sources, podcasts, news, interviews, at natural speed, and practice shadowing or summarizing. These activities target the exact weaknesses that persist at B2+.
That said, writing can still be useful in specific ways. For example, writing a summary of a podcast or article after listening forces you to process and rephrase, which strengthens both comprehension and recall. But this is a supplement, not a core activity. If you already feel confident in your written accuracy, skip extensive journaling or essay writing. Instead, do short, timed writing tasks (5-10 minutes) to practice organizing thoughts quickly, then move to speaking.
Concrete next steps: Replace half your writing time with speaking practice using prompts from resources like conversation textbooks or online topic lists. For listening, use active techniques: listen once for gist, again for details, then try to retell the content aloud. Track your speaking fluency by recording yourself monthly and noting improvements in speed, hesitation, and complexity. If you must write, make it output-focused: write a short argument, then deliver it orally from memory.
In short, for B2+ speaking and listening, writing is a low-priority activity. Invest your time in direct practice of the skills you want to improve. Your progress will be faster and more noticeable.