I’ll keep this short (which is my first tip for writing faster).
Most of my posts are a few hundred words. You don’t need more than that to get my point, and I don’t want to write more than that to make it.
So there.
- Lower your standards. You’re not writing literature. Tell people what you want to tell them, do a quick edit, and get on with your day.
- Keep a well-stocked supply of ideas. For me, deciding what I want to say takes a lot longer than actually saying it.
- Avoid (most) research. Write what you know.
- Write (something) every day. You’ll get faster and better.
- Schedule it. Decide when you want to write and put the time on your calendar. You’ll train your brain to accept that it’s time to write, making it more likely that the words will start flowing.
- Time it. Give yourself 15 minutes to write a first draft. (30 minutes if you must.)
- Learn to type faster. You can practice here
- Dictate. You speak several times faster than you can type and you can do it anywhere. Editing takes longer, though.
- Re-cycle. Most of your readers haven’t read or don’t remember what you wrote on the subject last year so write about it again this year.
Still think you can’t write a weekly newsletter or blog post?
Think again.
How to (quickly) write an email newsletter clients want to read
