How To Write Faster: 5 Tips To Write As Fast As You Think 

Wouldn’t it be great to write as quick as you thought? Slow writing can break your flow, create frustration and drain the fun from the writing. Increase your writing speed today with these 5 effective tips. 

3 Reasons You Need To Learn How To Write Faster 

• Boost Productivity: Faster writing helps you churn out more work in less time. Whether you need to write emails, compose reports, or create content, writing quickly can vastly improve your productivity.
• Meet Deadlines with Ease: As a faster writer, you’ll handle tight deadlines more comfortably. This skill is crucial for professionals in every field, especially for those in journalism, law, and content creation where time is often of the essence. 
• Feel Good About Yourself: There’s nothing like the feeling of ending a writing session knowing that you made a step forward, even if it’s a small one. Plus, for aspiring writers, it will drastically shorten how long it takes to write your book.

1. Write Now, Edit Later

Remember, it’s a FIRST DRAFT. 

It’s tempting to perfect every sentence as you write it down, but this can disrupt your flow and slow you down significantly.

Instead, focus on getting your ideas out first. Write everything that comes to mind without worrying about grammar, punctuation, or coherence. This approach frees your creativity and helps you maintain momentum throughout writing. The goal is to capture the essence of your thoughts and edit your work later.

Once you’ve completed your initial draft, take a break. Then return with fresh eyes for the editing phase. This not only improves the quality of your work but also makes the revision process more efficient and less daunting. By implementing this writing tip you can ensure that each writing session is as productive as possible and you’re not bogged down in the ‘perfection curse’. 

2. Get The Right Setup To Become A Faster Writer

Creating an environment without distractions that enhances focus and efficiency is crucial if you want to write faster. 

A cluttered writing desk can scatter your thoughts and impede your workflow, killing your efficiency and increasing frustration. When it’s time to write, tidy your workspace before you start, keeping only the essentials within reach. 

Next, get everything you need on your desk – you don’t want a genius thought interrupted with the thought ‘I need some water’! So whether it’s a warm cup of coffee, a mint tea, or a glass of water, get your favourite drink ready to go. 

It’s difficult to write quickly when you’ve got a searing pain in your back so ensure you maintain a good posture while sitting at your desk. Keep your back straight and shoulders are relaxed to avoid strain. Have your screen at eye level to prevent neck tilt, and make sure your feet are flat on the floor for proper alignment and support. 

3. Tick Tock! Use A Timer To Overcome Distractions

There’s something about a countdown that really gets your writing into motion. Setting a timer encourages a sense of urgency and purpose, helping you to avoid procrastination and stay in the flow. 

Start by choosing a timer app that suits your needs. For macOS users, Horo is a great option that sits in your menu bar, providing easy access.

For those who prefer a web-based tool, TomatoTimer is a free and straightforward choice that supports the Pomodoro Technique—a method involving intervals of focused work followed by short breaks.

When using a timer, allocate specific time blocks for different stages of your writing. For example, set 25 minutes for drafting, followed by a 5-minute break, and then another set period for your next task.

Remember this, if you don’t finish the task within the time, add on 10 minutes, if you still don’t finish the task, STOP and move on. Keeping strict deadlines in your writing process prevents you from feeling stagnant on one task which you can return to later with a fresher mind.

4. Ditch Music With Lyrics To Write More Efficiently

A lot of writers can’t write without listening to music but it can actually slow down your writing. For example, a catchy song you can’t help but sing along to, will not help you write faster! 

Instead, listen to classic music. A piece by Bach or Mozart can soothe the mind and create a productive writing atmosphere.

Or if you prefer a more modern vibe, binaural beats are an excellent choice. These audio tracks play slightly different frequencies in each ear, creating a perception of a third tone that can profoundly impact focus and mental state. This effect helps to maintain writing momentum by encouraging deep concentration without making you want to get up and dance!

Finally, to save time and minimise distractions by preventing you from searching for the next track every time one ends, create a playlist of non-lyrical music that helps you to write fast. 

5. Have A ‘Dumping Ground Page’

Sometimes as you’re writing you come up with an idea for a later section, or an important point you want to include this section but aren’t sure where to put it in the paragraph. So it’s useful to have a dedicated space where you can joy down any note, thought, or idea that isn’t ready to be woven into your draft. 

Whether you’re using google docs, notion or words, being able to record these ideas down will improve your writing speed. Instead of stopping to figure out exactly where they fit, you can quickly jot them down on your dumping ground page and return to them later.

This ensures that no good idea is lost and you can spend less time remembering and more time writing!

Remember This If You Want To Write Faster

Is every day going to be a productive writing day? No. Somedays just writing a word is difficult and you wonder if you’re even able to write, other days the words flow through your fingers and you’re writing 80 words per minute. 

However, these tips will increase your writing speed no matter your mood and make those less efficient days more productive. 

Planning is also crucial in learning to write faster. Have a clear objective in mind for your session but keep it small and achievable to start with so you don’t feel daunted by the task ahead. 

How Do I Write Faster By Hand? 

Start by looking at your grip and posture; hold your pen or pencil in a comfortable, relaxed grip to prevent cramping and ensure smooth movement across the page. Try not to slouch as this strains your arm and kills your handwriting speed. 

You might be drawing letters with your fingers and using your wrist too much which causes your hand to move often while writing the same line. Switch to moving the pen with your forearms and shoulders instead. 

Getting a high quality pen that allows you to write lightly and not force your pen into the paper can also reduce tension in your hands and allows you to write faster. 

Wrapping Up and My Experience With Writing Faster

From essays to creative stories to dissertations, I am all too familiar with banging my head against the well when I struggle to string a sentence together.

But, having a setup designed for focused writing, playing instrumental and inspiring music, using timers, having a notetaking page on standby and taking the pressure off what I write by telling myself ‘good enough, come back later to edit’ has increased my writing speed and can improve yours too. 

Good Luck!