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.
