How to Stop Killing Your Productivity with Self-Editing

You turn your laptop on, you go to the text editor and write your first sentence. You re-read it and edit on-the-go. Then compose the second sentence, and do the same thing only to realize that it has been an hour since you first started and you are not even close to the 50% completion of a short task you have to complete.

That is so frustrating, and as writers, we have all been there.
Striving for perfection is great, but as it gets in your way of writing, you get nothing done. And once you realize it, the burden of your own unproductivity demotivates and hurts your image as a writer.
But the good news is that there is a better way to write and be productive as a professional. Wondering what this way looks like?
We are about to explain it to you in greater details. So, read on!

Six techniques to increase writer’s productivity

1. Write with your screen’s light off

As you write, you constantly go back to check whether your writing is grammatically correct. And as a result you end up having fewer things done, because editing as you write is not a good idea.
Therefore, you need to master the touch typing method. You will be surprised to find out how this method can absolutely transform the way you think about writing.
It might take time to master this skill, but remember that it is priceless. Writing your thoughts and ideas down without having to go back and fix mistakes can take your productivity to a brand-new level!
Once you finish writing, you will be able to go over the text and edit it. But do it only once you finish the writing stage.
No matter what it is that you compose, a book report or an article for an online media, type first, edit next.

2. Learn how to transcribe your writing

Another great skill you can obtain to increase your productivity is transcription. Just think about it: you can take voice notes of your writing no matter where you are, and then simply transcribe them into text when you have time for it.
This can be an incredible time-saving habit/ and it is especially beneficial for people who cannot overcome the writer’s block, but can freely think out loud. They might come up with brilliant ideas and then write them down in Google Docs no mater where you are!

Besides, it increase the speed of your “writing.” With regular writing you get to write down up to a thousand words an hour, while with voice notes, you get to “write” thousands of words in a couple of minutes, especially when you feel really inspired.

3. Learn how to plan your writing correctly

It is important to plan your writing ahead of time. And that is another thing you need to get “educated” at.
Writing consists of several parts: conducting your research, creating an outline, the writing itself, proofreading the text, editing it, and proofreading it again. If you go through each of these stages timely, then you will get to see impressive results within a limited time period.
For it, you need to get disciplined, master the Pomodoro method, and make sure to apply all the knowledge that you gain.
Do not proceed to the next stage until you make sure that the first one is 100% complete
Otherwise, the lack of preparation will lead to massive time loss. And that is exactly what we are fighting with here.

4. Write or Die

Well, this might sound terrifying, but if you suffer from unproductive lazy days as a writer, this app is mandatory for you.
People from all over the world use this app to ensure that they write daily. You can set the amount of time you want to write daily, set an alarm at a specific time, a grace period that gives you time before the consequences take place, and consequences that come when a writer does not do what he promised to.
Besides, the program is being constantly updated and upgraded, as the developers’ team want to make the experience as nice and smooth for the users as possible.
You do not need the Internet connection to work in this program, which makes it perfect. And there is also a reward mode that basically reward users for doing their best on the program!
Sounds terrific, don’t you think? We think so too!
And since the program also has a Leaderboard, you can participate in it with your friends.
This will make you even more productive because nothing motivates us more than competition!

5. Practice free writing

Another great technique to help you overcome your unproductivity is free writing. This basically means that you get to write whatever it is in your head. And as you go on and on about your worries, feelings, and ideas, you eventually overcome a writer’s blog and get into the creative stream you have fallen out of!

6. Use technological solutions

If you are spending way too much time on editing and improving text’s readability, then using free online tools might be the right answer for you.
For instance, the Hemingway app is perfect for improving the readability of the text. It points out what sentences are hard to read, which ones are extremely hard to read, and what simpler analoges of the complex phrases you use you should use.
Meanwhile, Grammarly should be your first choice for fixing grammatical mistakes and punctuation errors. The functionality is partially available for free, so all the major and
critical mistakes you can edit free of charge, but advanced settings are available after purchasing the subscription. The app is fantastic, as the developers constantly update the grammar base the program uses when fixing your mistakes.
Finally, consider using Plag Scan as a tool that checks your texts for plagiarism. The database of this tool contains millions of online documents, books, articles, and papers, and each article is scanned carefully to make sure that no piece of it was stolen from somebody else’s work. It is a real must-have for a writer.
As a writer, you have time to procrastinate or lose your precious time. And to prevent that, you can use our tips. We have offered you ways of how to save time with cutting-edge technological solutions and other techniques that will make all the difference to your writing.
Don’t edit on the go, and strive to be as productive as possible which is now possible with our simple tips.
Do you have any specific secrets of how to be a productive writer that we did not mention here? Do not hesitate to share them with us in the comments!