Measuring Your Productivity by the Writing Speed Kills Content Quality
There’s no formula on how many words a writer should write a day
I keep seeing more articles criticizing toxic productivity, which made me think of how it affects my life and work. I wrote about productivity before, but this time I’m interested in seeing its negative side.
I love finding new productivity tools, optimizing my time, and keeping a nice pace. But I’ve noticed that it’s not enough in today’s world, especially if you’re a writer.
I keep stumbling upon articles that have a formula on how to produce more words a day. They explain that writers should push their limits and each day reach X amount of words and break new records. There’s some good stuff, but often those authors forget the most important thing — quality.
They teach readers how to speed up your typing to produce more words a minute. Then I wonder — what is the goal you’re trying to achieve? Is it bulks of words, or is it meaningful content?
Toxic productivity says that you have to be productive 24/7. Even if you’re on a tram on your way to work, you should type on your phone.
Are you at the dinner party and a good idea crossed your mind? Ditch your friends and find a computer. Just type type type.
To be honest, I’m skeptical about this concept. Some greatest authors of all time wouldn’t write more than their fair share of words a day. Ernest Hemingway used to write 500 words a day, Mark Twain would produce up to 1800 words a day. And yet they managed to make literature history. So, why are we pushed to create a short book on our lunch break?
Why focusing on a word count damages your work?
You prioritize quantity over quality
Writing itself can be a great exercise to awaken your brain before work. You can pour your thoughts and words into a diary and get over with it. Then sit and take your time to write, but don’t keep pouring in the same erratic way.
Many great writers can write X words/second, but speed and quantity shouldn’t be the goal. Where are you rushing? Do you want to write down everything that’s on your mind? I don’t think that necessarily means good content.
Writing is a small part of the bigger process
You can write a 3000-word article in two hours, but probably you will have to cut down half of it. It’s challenging to write an engaging piece without planning it and editing it afterward.
These two crucial steps shouldn’t be done fast. But it would take much less time to write if you had an outline prepared and much less time to edit if you didn’t pour every word in it.
Your speed isn’t your skill
Unless you want to be a typist, then yes, fast typing should be on your resume. If you manage to write a 500-word article in one day, but that article checks all the boxes, you win. If you can write the same quality article in 1 hour, then yes, it’s a time-saving skill. But usually fast isn’t always equal good.
Everyone has their pace
If you prefer taking your time, analyzing material, and researching the topic, you shouldn’t feel bad that it takes time. We all are different, so is our writing speed.
Next time you hear some self-improvement coach saying he wakes up at 4 AM each morning and writes 4000 words before breakfast, don’t feel bad. I would rather spend more time in the evening enjoying the company of my friends and boyfriend, and sleeping my 8 hours, than pushing myself to break some fictional records.
Instead of burning your fingertips on the keyboard, focus on:
Finding interesting points
What’s the point of writing thousands of words a day if no one cares to read it? Instead, spend time finding exciting angles that would make the reader curious to read your piece.
Making the text easy to read
Word count doesn’t mean a thing if your content is unreadable. Typing as fast as you can, might lead to mistakes and logic errors. Yet if you’re that type of writer who gives all during the writing process, don’t neglect editing and proofreading.
Researching and ensuring credibility
Even if it’s an opinion piece, you have to make sure you can prove your points. We all can search for things online, and find that your words don’t make sense. And when you lose credibility as a writer, it’s difficult to gain it back.
Reading other writers’ work
Who knows more about writing than people who write. Whether it’s Medium writers or your favorite fiction authors, reading other creators’ work can help you come up with ideas, and find useful tips.
Planning and editing
My writing process contains four steps: planning, writing, editing, and adjusting content to feedback. All these steps are essential because you wouldn’t have a clear structure and a goal without a plan. Without editing, your work probably wouldn’t make much sense. And if you ignore what your clients or readers have to say, you will keep repeating old mistakes.
Feeling productive is fantastic, but not being productive shouldn’t mean you’re a failure. We are people, and part of following your dream to be a writer is to enjoy it. Perhaps writing two articles before breakfast gives you joy, but it doesn’t mean others should feel the same. Don’t push yourself to type at the speed of sound, rather focus on finding what feels right and what could be interesting to share and read.
