Want to write faster?  Forget about typing like a transcription expert.  The gains you will realize from that aren’t all that huge, unless you can come up with ideas at the same rate as the recorded voices can recite them.

1. Learn to draft with no regard.  When you draft, let the thoughts flow without regards for issues of clarity and correctness.  You can worry about these things later when you’re editing and revising.  Whiel composing the first draft, stay focused on simply expressing yourself.

2. Schedule a regular time to write.  A regular schedule, repeated consistently over time, builds habit.  The more you’re able to integrate positive behaviors into your routines, the more fluid your work ends up during their execution.

3. Use a timer.  You know how everyone always works fast when a deadline is looming?  That’s what a timer counting down in front of you does whenever you write.  You’ll be amazed at how much distractions you can ignore when the time is right there to occupy you.

4. Take advantage of speed-improving writing tools.  Software-based writing assistants, such as grammar checkers and automated style guides, can literally shave off hours from your work.  If you ask  me, all writers who care about their productivity should put them to good use.

Everybody works on a schedule.  Whether you’re a young lad trying to make his way through school or a seasoned pro with million-dollar writing contracts, you’re always writing against a deadline.  And it’s in your best interest to ensure that you make it just in time.

Some people make a habit of violating deadlines, even going so far as to wear it like a badge of pride.  It’s not only ridiculous, it’s a bad trait to develop.  Unless you become insanely important, you will likely end up losing opportunities now and in the future because of it.

When you’re looking to beat a deadline, it’s important to aim at finishing the job early.  That means, not only making the deadline, but beating it by a convenient mile, in any way that you can.  There are many techniques for speeding up your work.  These are some of our favorites.

Outlining. Working with an outline lets you map out the piece well before actually writing it.  This leads to immense improvements in your overall speed, as you end up working with a subject you’ve previously laid out.

Speeding Through Your First Draft. Every time you let doubt and excessive thought get in the way of writing, you’re slowing yourself down.  The best remedy is to speed through your first draft, resolving to fix any problems during the editing phase.

Writing Tools. Take advantage of available writing tools, from spell checkers to grammar software.  This one’s pretty obvious, with the time difference between using an automated tool or going about it manually being particularly remarkable.

Move Your Deadlines Closer. If you’ve got a ten hour window, try to work it out in seven.  Don’t ever schedule your work according to the actual deadline – that leaves you little room for exigencies.

Between the preparation and the editing, the first draft might be the most straightforward part of writing.  Yet, it’s usually the one that requires the most clear mind in order to finish.

With your research finishes and your outline settled, the first draft is a simple creation of the words that convey the ideas you wish to express.  If you have familiarity with English and you can keep se;f-doubt from creeping in, it shouldn’t prove too much of a challenge, as it’s the mere act of putting the thoughts in your head to paper.  Form?  Technique?  Style?  You can worry about that in editing much later.

I’m a huge fan of finishing a first draft as fast as possible.  These three common sense techniques should help you accomplish it.

1.  Set a time limit

Put a time limit on writing your first draft.  Use a timer that you can easily look at and stay focused on the  task.  Every time you’re going to do something else other than the first draft (distractions), pause the timer.  This will help condition you to work on the first draft with a fixed timeframe.

2. Put placeholders

If the right words won’t come, skip it.  A first draft is not the time to dwell on writing niceties.  Should any questions arise, just ignore it and keep writing.  When you “know” you need to write something particular, but can’t find the words to do it, put a placeholder as a reminder.  That will keep the first draft writing flowing.

3.  Don’t run checks

While we always advice people to use a good writing software, the first draft phase in not the time to do it.  Get through the entire writing first and do the software-based corrections at the editing portion of your writing.

Conventionally, you should begin every writing task from the introduction, proceeding to the body and ending with the conclusion.   Whether you write you pieces from an outline or directly by the seat of your pants, most people simply assume you’re supposed to  write from top-to-bottom.  In practical applications, however, it may be smarter to write a piece in a less-than-linear way.

When I am tasked with writing about products I am unfamiliar with, I typically dive headlong into the details before I even think about an introduction.  It’s just easier that way, saving me more time, in the process. The same is true for large writing jobs too, which probably requires you to write various sub-sections on a particular topic.  If one of the sections is just easier to turn out, why not start with it and let it kickstart your momentum?

A good guideline is to start with the parts that you know best.  Once that’s done, you’ll usually be deep enough into the material that you will also know how to write those parts you know least.   Some writers I’ve met, complete their pieces by writing the first phrase for each section.  Once that’s done, they try to go through each one, trying to discover which one “writes itself first” then they go that way.

No matter what your high school writing teacher taught you, it’s perfectly normal to write copy in whatever manner makes it easier for you.  Just remember to read it for coherence, revise what needs correcting and run it through a grammar software to ensure it adheres to proper English conventions.