Too much work and no time to write?
Content creation is crucial for the growth of any blog. But as you grow, so do your responsibilities.
Sooner than you think, you’ll start to realize that you have less time to write than you initially thought. So how can you write faster without resorting to AI, you ask? I’ve got you covered.
1. Pick the Right Time of the Day
Are you a morning person, or do you prefer working at night?
According to research, people are generally more creative at night, but more productive in the morning. We have more focus, more willpower, and we’ll even make fewer mistakes.
At night, however, things can get a little too cozy. You’ll be more relaxed, you won’t need to rush, and you just won’t be as alert as you would have been earlier in the day.
Different people have different preferences, though, so pick a time that suits you best.
2. Race Against Time
It’s amazing how setting a deadline can help speed up your writing.
When you write without setting a time by when you need to be done, you won’t feel the rush to work. Instead, you’ll be so relaxed that you won’t mind procrastinating or taking multiple breaks, hence reducing your productivity.
Your progress will be much slower than if you had set a goal. It could take you one whole day to complete something that you could have finished in just an hour’s time. So the next time you write, try to set a timer so you have a goal to meet.
3. Get Your Blood Rushing
Everyone has a reason to do what they do. Remind yourself of your personal mantra before you start working on your piece.
My reason to go on is that I still haven’t achieved my goals even after a month. So whenever I think of that, I get a little bit angry with myself. It is good that I do because it gives me the motivation to work harder and get things done.
My brother’s reason to work hard is because he doesn’t want to get a bad image. He doesn’t want to get in trouble with his boss.
Your reason is probably that you have so much work to do but very little time to finish it.
Remembering your objective will really help you to write your piece faster. You won’t easily be distracted when your eyes are set on reaching your goals.
If you don’t have a goal, be sure to find one, and don’t choose it just for the sake of having one. It needs to be an emotional anchor that will get your blood running and help you deeply focus.
4. Don’t Stop Writing until Your Fingers Hurt
Have you ever done work in the same room as your friend, and he kept bothering you to hang out, go to the mall, or even get something to eat?
Or have you been working at home, where many millennials still are, and your parents kept disturbing you by pressuring you to clean the dishes or help out in the kitchen?
When we take regular breaks, we lose our concentration on the ideas that are flowing at that moment of writing. And if you were to take too many breaks, you would eventually start telling yourself, “Hey, maybe I’m too busy to finish it today. I think I’ll do it tomorrow.”
When you start writing, the best way to maintain productivity is to set your mind not to stop writing even until your fingers hurt.
With that amount of concentration, you can save more time. Because you’re already working, pushing yourself a little bit more can help you finish faster.
5. Find a Quiet Room for Yourself
When writing a piece, you need to be completely focused and in the zone. You will be far less productive if your parents or your friends are distracting you, so it’s best to find a room where no one will disturb you.
You should be so absorbed in writing that you don’t even notice your surroundings. When you feel that way, you are on the right track and are getting all your thoughts together to finish your piece.
6. Put Your Phone Away
It’s very hard to live without your phone. But in order to maintain your concentration and finish quickly, you should put it away.
You might not notice it, but the moment you touch your phone when there’s a text or call, your mind will be in a different place already.
You’ll start thinking of your other jobs, you’ll start thinking of who you need to call, and you’ll start browsing your social media thinking of what to post. When that happens, you’ll break your concentration and feel overwhelmed.
7. Settle Your Errands Before Touching Your Keyboard
Another way to help lessen your distractions and disturbances is by planning ahead and finishing your errands early. That way, the rest of the day will be smooth sailing.
I love waking up early to finish all my errands. By 9 a.m. onwards, I can put my phone aside and go into full force writing mode all the way until the afternoon when I have my lunch break and recharge.
8. Pinch Yourself Every Time You Procrastinate
Procrastination is something every one of us faces.
There’s no cure for it. The only way for you to fight it is by keeping yourself super busy until you learn how to ignore that feeling.
Still, from time to time we do feel like taking a break, and we procrastinate unknowingly. So when this happens, you need to remind yourself to stop getting distracted and to continue writing your piece.
Some people put sticky notes on their monitors, and some put up pictures that remind them of their goals.
Others, like me, tend to pinch themselves to bring themselves back to reality whenever their minds wander off.
9. Outline Your Ideas Before You Even Start
Most writers tend to start outlining their ideas at the same time they want to start writing.
While this practice might work for some, I find that outlining my ideas a bit earlier can help me get even more prepared before I start writing.
If I want to write content today, I will have outlined my points the night before. That way, by the time I want to write in the morning, I can go full steam ahead. Often I’ll get more ideas in the middle of writing after I start.https://www.facebook.com/riaz.shah.357
10. Body First, Then the Intro
Most readers speed-read whenever they read an article, and yours will be no different to them.
Don’t waste time thinking of the right words to say for your intro.
Instead, go straight to writing the body first. After you finish covering the main points, you can see your content from a broader perspective, which can help you cover your intro better.
11. Perhaps You Need a Better Tool
As writers, we spend more time on our keyboards than people in any other profession in the world.
Many people use computers, but writers utilize their keyboards for long hours non-stop. Imagine the immense pressure on the keyboard and your fingers!
Clunky keyboards, although great for gaming, can quickly tire your fingers out.
But if you use the light touch keyboard, you can streamline your writing and let your fingers do the talking.
12. Proofread with Grammarly
Finally, you finish your work and you need to go through the boring part: re-reading everything to fix your mistakes. There’s an easy way to do so.
Instead of relying on Grammarly’s automatic web browser AI detector like many of us tend to do, download the desktop application.
Copy and paste your written content into the desktop app. From there, you’ll get a better, more detailed view of your work to help you proofread faster.
It’s a bit tedious, yes. But for a lengthy article, this habit will help you scan your words faster, as though you have another set of eyes.
Ready to Write Faster?
Review these tips and start implementing them today.
Originally published 4/19/17; updated 7/2/24 to fix outdated links and restore author bio lost due to tech issues.
Or in the People Also Ask section:
![Content Audit Success: A Step-by-Step Guide [Videos]](https://growmap.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Content-Audit-Success-A-Step-by-Step-Guide-825x440.jpg "Content Audit Success: A Step-by-Step Guide [Videos] 42")
