I’ve spent over 1,200 hours of my life writing blog posts.
For years, I’d sit at my laptop for hours, wondering why something that should take 30 minutes was eating up entire days.
But I’ve also learned something:
Most writing problems aren’t writing problems. They’re process problems.
Here are the 7 biggest time-wasters that slow down your writing (and how to fix each one fast).
1. You start writing without this
The biggest mistake I made early on was diving straight into writing.
I’d have this brilliant idea in my head and think, “I’ll just go with the flow and see where it takes me.”
45 minutes later, I’d stare at a rambling mess that jumped from topic to topic like a drunk baboon.
Then I’d spend another 3 hours trying to edit it into something coherent.
An outline solves this issue.
It’s nothing else than a roadmap.
Before you write a single sentence, spend 5 minutes jotting down:
- Your main point of the article (the big idea)
- 3–8 supporting ideas
That’s it.
Then, start vomiting all your thoughts within those buckets.
Starting with an outline saves you 3 hours of editing.
2. You overthink your headlines
If your headline sucks, nobody reads your post.
I used to spend hours agonizing over the perfect headline. I’d write 10 different versions and end up frustrated.
A swipe file solves this problem.
Start collecting headlines that make you click. When you see a headline that grabs your attention, save it.
When you need to write a headline, don’t start from scratch. Look at your swipe file and adapt what already works.
“7 Reasons Your Blog Posts Take Forever to Write” is adapted from headlines I’ve seen work a hundred times before.
Steal like an artist.
3. You don’t start your articles with a BANG!
I come from Medium.
There, your introduction can make or break your entire article.
As a world-class overthinker, I used to spend 45 minutes crafting the “perfect” opening paragraph. I’d rewrite it 9 times.
Most of those were garbage.
The best introductions are simple. They start with a story, a problem, or a bold statement that pulls people in.
Look at this article. I started with a simple (but bold) credibility statement.
That’s it.
Your intro doesn’t need to be Shakespeare. It just needs to make people want to read the next sentence.
4. You waste your time in editing hell
Editing makes good writing great.
But it can also become a black hole that sucks up your entire day.
I used to edit my posts 15–20 times. I’d read through them obsessively, changing a word here, moving a sentence there, convinced that one more pass would make it perfect.
But perfectionism is the enemy of publishing.
No matter what you do, your article will always be imperfect.
So I set a hard limit on editing. 1–3 read-throughs. That’s it.
After that, ship it.
5. You’re obsessed with research
Research is important.
But too much research is procrastination.
I used to research topics to death. I’d read 20 articles, bookmark 15 studies, and take pages of notes before writing a single word.
By the time I started writing, I was overwhelmed with information, paralyzed by choice, and my brain totally fried.
If you know your topic, you shouldn’t need extensive research.
Trust your knowledge. Write from experience. Use what you have in your notes. If you need to look something up, set a hard limit of 5 minutes upfront.
Research should support your ideas, not replace them.
6. You want to squeeze in too much info
Smart people love to cram everything they know into one post.
I’d start writing about email marketing and somehow end up covering social media, content creation, and personal branding. I thought I was being thorough.
I was actually confusing.
That’s why I advise you to adopt this simple rule: one post = one big idea.
You see, this post is about pointing out the mistakes that make your writing slower. It’s not about talking about the fact that I hate social media or I hate social media or how to create a good thumbnail for your article.
These are completely different articles.
If you have multiple ideas, write multiple posts. Your readers’ attention spans are shorter than you think.
Focus on solving one specific problem. Do it well. Then move on to the next post.
7. Keep things simple
Don’t try to sound smarter than you are.
Don’t use big words when small ones work better. Don’t write like you’re submitting a PhD thesis.
Write like you’re talking to a friend.
The best writing feels effortless to read. Use short sentences.
Break things up.
It makes it easier to write and to read.
Your goal isn’t to impress people with your vocabulary. It’s to help them solve a problem or learn something new.