Writing for a living is a very low profit activity. This is not because good quality written text is not valuable, as some people may earn hundreds of dollars from it. But, the amount of time it takes to create this text is so long that the price per hour is really low. One way to get a writer’s price per hour up is to increase writing speed. For some people this may simply involve shaving a few minutes off of each project. For others it may involve shaving hours off of a project (depending on their base writing speed). No matter what level you are at, you are bound to find a few of these tips helpful.
1 – Learn how to touch type on your computer
This is the big one that is going to make the difference between shaving minutes and shaving hours off of your writing times. Even if you have been using just two or three fingers for years, you can still learn how to touch type. It does not matter if you are set in your ways doing it by other means because touch typing is a process in which you start from scratch and work up.
2 -Try typing with your eyes shut to break the habit of looking at your keyboard
This is going to help you to stop looking at your keyboard when you type. When you are touch typing it is more of a habit than a though fueled process. You know which fingers are supposed to tap which buttons and each finger knows where those buttons are. If you have trouble typing out a few sentences (allowing for mistakes) without looking at the board, then learning to do this will speed up your writing times.
3 – Try the speech recognition software on windows 7 and 8
If you can speak a little bit like a newsreader, then you will do very well with speech recognition. Even if you have a strong accent or you are a bit of a mumbler, you may still use the speech recognition on windows 7 and 8 because it is adaptive. If you follow the rules on logging corrections you will find that it learns how you talk. You should use a headset with a microphone to get the most predictable and consistent results. You should also speak in full sentences as the software guesses what you are saying by the words surrounding it.
4 – Time yourself and try to beat your time each time
This turns writing from a passive-time endeavor, to a time-pressure endeavor. Some people will go to pieces with a timer a little like when they take exams, but perseverance will help to increase writing speeds. It teaches your mind how to write faster out of force of habit, to the point where you will find your writing speed is faster even when there is no timer present.
5 – Remove any distractions as they damage productivity
Remove any distractions that pop up on your computer and from your surrounding area. They are going to affect your writing speed because they damage your productivity. If you do not remove them then they will passively make you a slower writer. If you were to time yourself with and without distractions, you will find that your times are different. You will also find that distractions make writing harder and therefore more tiring.
6 – Noise, music and TV are all productivity killers
People do not want to believe this because writing in silence can sometimes be boring or downright uncomfortable. But, test after test has proven that these things damage your productivity and therefore slow your writing down.
7 – Give yourself a break at least every 20 minutes
This has to be done because our brains are wired to key in on distractions. It is a survival instinct, and after 20 minutes those distractions become self produced. Scientists estimate that we distract ourselves between 30% and 70% of the time depending upon how tired or restless we are. Give yourself a break to help stop this happening and to help stop any burnout feelings.
8 – Set a time limit for how long a certain word count should take
This will help you to see if you are going slowly without realizing it. We all do it from time to time, and if you know how long a certain word count should take then you will know if you are falling behind and going slow (so you can speed yourself up again).
9 – Get into the habit of writing in large chunks
This requires a lot of concentrated effort in one session of writing. It is good for helping to maintain focus whilst also getting a lot done. You may break it into smaller parts when you have finished.
10 – Do not make the mistake of writing on a mobile device
This may seem convenient, but it is only a stop gap measure for the times when you simply cannot get to a desktop computer. Never favor any sort of mobile device over a laptop or desktop, because they are not built for writing. Even if you have a plug in keyboard, the screen is still too small for you to be as productive as you would be on a desktop computer.
Kate Funk is a writer and tutor at tutorleader.com. She loves covering writing tips and strategies for blogging.
