by Janet Sandford

Created on: January 05, 2010

Writing is a very time-consuming activity therefore, being able to manage time is essential. As a solitary activity over which you are the master, self-discipline and concentration are needed but there are many other small things you can do that will save a minute here in there, which in time, will add up to hours! Here are ten tips that you might find helpful:

1) Be a disciplined researcher

Some of your articles may require research and like links on You tube, you may find that one click leads to another and before you know it, four hours have gone by and you have forgotten what you set out looking for. Decide what information you need, look for that only and make concise, readable notes.

2) Have an outline plan 

Even for a short piece of a few hundreds words, have an outline plan with bullet points for each paragraph. Time spent being unsure of what to write next is usually a result of a lack of planning and not having clarified your ideas in advance.

3) Know your best writing time

There’s no getting away from the fact that some of us are early birds and others; night owls. Don’t fight it but work with your natural body clock.

4) Set daily targets and mini-deadlines

Many professional authors work to a daily word count, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be the same. It’s largely a matter of habit and mindset. Furthermore, if it doesn’t feel too much of a military regime, it’s very effective to set mini targets to achieve things in an hour or for smaller pieces, even 15 minutes. It feels unnecessarily masochistic at first but after a while, mind and body adapt and it seems no big deal.

5) Write quickly, not worrying about mistakes

This may sound rather unprofessional but it was a technique used by the prolific writer, George Simenon. The trick is just to get the stuff down quickly and not write one sentence, check it and so on. Write it, leave it behind and then move on.

6) Check twice; no more

Having written your piece, you can go over it again with the spell check and read for meaning and fluidity. Take a short break and then have one final read. Some errors will get through from time to time but excessive vetting can become a time-consuming vice and before you know it, you’ll start rewriting the whole article.

7) Take regular breaks

Frequent, short breaks help to keep up your mental and physical energy. Likewise, drink plenty of water. It’s amazing how much hydration plays a part in clarity of thought and writing can be surprisingly tiring.

8) Switch tasks

You can do some research, some proofreading and some creative writing to keep up the pace. If you just write, write, write, you may find that you gradually grind to a halt and find the whole thing just turns into a complete drudge.

9) Switch topics

Even if you have a particular specialism which you know a lot about and enjoy, it can be also be refreshing to switch topics and this will help you to stay productive when you feel at a low ebb.

10) Get the quick working habit

Pace is largely a matter of habit and if you put your mind to it, you can learn to work quickly without jeopardising quality. Writing is a labour intensive activity, so the quicker and smarter you can work, the more you’ll get done and the more you’ll earn!

You’d better get writng - quickly!

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