How to write quickly

This might sound ridiculously obvious, but it’s amazing how much I forget it. The key to writing quickly is…

Just write.

• Don’t write headlines.
• Don’t think of the topic.
• Don’t form your structure.
• Don’t research the topic.
• Don’t edit.
• Don’t format.
• Don’t proofread.

You need to do all of these, but they’re separate… or should be. Separate them out like crazy. Some of them you do before writing. Some you do in between writing. Some you’ll do after writing. The key is making that distinction.

When you’re writing, just write. When you’re doing the other things, just do one of them. Don’t try to do everything at once, especially if you’re trying to finish quickly.