Being able to write successfully involves investing the necessary time to accomplish each stage of writing. While you can always breeze through the process, that usually does more harm than good, resulting in material that’s either barely passable or a downright failure.
Each piece you put down to paper is, of course, different and should require different amounts of time. Same holds true for each writer’s skill set and proficiency. Regardless of the work required and your particular level of ability, it’s important to have set aside enough time in order to properly accomplish it.
From the moment you first receive a task, whether it be a research paper for school or a financial report for work, set aside a proper time for it. While you particular requirements might be different, the actual writing might require no longer than an hour or two for short pieces. However, you have to account for the research (a process that can take very long for complicated subjects), organization and editing (even if you have a good writing software to help you).
If you’re not a professional writer and you’ve been tasked to write a piece, the following list should be a good guideline on the kind of time you need to put aside:
- a short article or essay (allot between 3 to 5 days, including research)
- a long article (allot 5 to 8 days, including research)
- a short paper for class with three to five pages (1 to 2 weeks)
- a long paper for class with 10 or more pages (5 to 8 weeks)
Tags: manage time, time management
