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How To Be A More Efficient Writer

By on July 3, 2020

If you want to be a more efficient writer, you need to learn how to work productively and quickly without compromising your work quality. In short, the faster you can generate good quality content, the more money you can make. However, doing so takes practice and skill.

So what are some useful tips to help you become more efficient as a writer? Let’s take a look:

Learn how to do one thing at a time

While there are many other areas of life where multitasking can make you more productive, writing is not one of them. The vast majority of writers will find that by compartmentalizing the process of writing and working on one task through to completion at a time, they can fit much more into their day. To write a good piece, you need to be fully immersed in it, and all your focus and energy needs to be directed toward it. If you keep starting and stopping and trying to do other things alongside it, your writing will likely be weaker, more disjointed, and ultimately less compelling to the reader. Don’t keep switching context, instead create a task list for the day and work through it methodically. 

Gather data and for your research

Before you start writing your article, you need to do your research. By doing all your research first, you will have more information and knowledge already stored in your head, and this will make the process of writing much more streamlined. You will have all the information necessary and at hand to write your piece, and this can help make sure that your train of thought isn’t interrupted when you begin.

Outline before you begin

An article outline is imperative. This will help you map out your structure and main points. It will ensure your article has legs and will make the words flow much more natural than if you are trying to write ‘as you go.’ Be as thorough as possible with your outline - the more detailed you are, the faster you will write your piece. 

Draft as quickly as possible

The first draft of your article should be about getting the words on the page. Don’t worry too much about being perfect or error-free - this can come with editing. Instead, aim for a decent first draft, and then you can go back and reshape later. If you spend too long painstakingly pouring over every word at this point, you won’t achieve anything very quickly.

Edit like a pro

When it comes to editing your piece, practice makes perfect. Writing and editing require completely different mental scripts, so save your editing until your first draft is complete. Editing requires precision and discipline, where writing requires creativity and flow. 

By following the above, you can write and edit your articles quickly and efficiently. Do you have any more tips for writing efficiency? Share them with us here!

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