10 Tips to Write Faster Without Sacrificing Quality

No matter where you live or work, the chances are that you need to write or type daily. It could be integral to your lifestyle, whereby you’d like the same volume in less time, or you may just want to cut down on how long it takes to send out emails.

An increase in speed is often linked to a drop in quality. However, by keeping your mind fresh and practicing, this does not need to be the case. Try as many of the 10 tips below as you can fit into your lifestyle to start seeing improvements in record time.

Most professional writers fall into one of two categories. They either have to write in silence or can’t write in silence. Given that accomplishments and quality are otherwise equal, it cannot be denied that this is a personal choice. Some prefer to avoid distractions altogether, while others find that music helps to maintain focus.

If you try both and can’t decide, then there is a middle ground. Some writers find they work best when surrounded by noise. You don’t want anything too loud, but background chatter and ringing phones can be enough to keep them focused. If you work in an office, you may have taken steps to block out this noise. If you work alone, then you might find better results in a public space rather than sitting at home alone.

This second tip is tied to the first. As a golden rule of quality writing, it warrants a spotlight of its own. While professional writers disagree in the silence and music debate, they can all agree on the fact that listening to speech will be detrimental to the quality of writing. This doesn’t only cover people speaking to you directly either. Even those that prefer musical accompaniment will choose songs with limited or no vocals. The radio is also a bad idea. In the worst cases, you’ll find your focus wandering to whatever is being said and before you know it, you’re mindlessly typing out what you hear rather than what you think.

One thing that will often slow down your writing process will be thinking of what to write as you go. It’s not quite as challenging as other forms of multitasking, but when two areas require complete focus for the best results, you’ll sacrifice speed.

There’s also nothing worse when writing for speed than grinding to a complete halt and hitting the writer’s block wall. If you leave the zone and run out of ideas, the few minutes spent on an initial outline can quickly get you back on track. Even if you’re struggling, the fact that you have an idea of the structure means you can move on to other parts of the project and come back to those you missed later.

If you want to reach your peak as a writer, you need to find the time to read. Valuable time is lost thinking about how to structure individual sentences and phrases while you write. However, the more you read, the more different interpretations of how to lay them out you’ll encounter. Over time, you’ll incorporate what you read into what you write — so make sure to sprinkle some highbrow content in with your daily dose of social media!

You never know when inspiration will strike, but if you stare at the same four walls for most of your day, the answer could be ‘never.’ Even if you never venture far from your desk, ten minutes outside may serve up a different perspective relative to whatever you happen to work on at the time.

Professionals develop specialties, while others tend to limit their writing to specific tasks, like emails. Do the same thing in the same way over and over again, and you’ll drive yourself insane, which isn’t great for quality nor speed.

To explore the idea of specialties further, most writers who find their niche will stick to what they know. That does indeed make them faster, especially when they reach a point where they could write an article in their sleep. If the bulk of your writing involves blog posts, try your hand at sales copy. Experience dictates that it won’t be as good immediately, but it is both something to work on and an opportunity to freshen up your approach.

The chances are you’ve read up extensively on the importance of standing up when seated for long periods and not to spend a full hour staring at a screen. Both are valid while writing, but there are other break triggers to look out for. If you feel your speed or quality slipping, it’s time to take a quick break. If you’ve hit that writer’s block wall, that’s another great time to take a step back and do something else.

For those that don’t write as a profession, you could conceivably feel like you’ve spent your entire life only writing when you need to. From school to work, all the way up to today, consider whether you’ve ever written for pleasure. Not everyone will find joy in writing for themselves, but you may find a new hobby you never knew you needed.

You may reach the point where your fingers cannot keep up with your mind and the reason why you cannot up your speed is physical. You should never push too hard, but it might be worth entering the typist mindset. You’re pretty fast and you know where the keys are, but typist exercises will help to work on muscle memory and the results will speak for themselves.

It is all well and good saying that you want to write faster, but it’s impossible to measure. Think of something realistic, like a certain WPM on a typing test or completion of a page in a specific time, that you cannot achieve currently. Using the tips above, you can reach measurable goals and have something genuine to celebrate.

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