Never Rewrite Anything the Same Day You Write It

One of the most important techniques I use to produce grants quickly...and to generate copy for the Drew & Associates newsletter...is to follow the rule of never rewriting anything the same day I write it. When I was an undergraduate student, I used to spend hours writing and rewriting the first sentence of my term paper until it was perfect. Then I would spend hours and hours writing and rewriting the first paragraph. This process was especially painful because I was using a typewriter to compose my document and a bottle of quick-drying correction fluid to cover up my mistakes. Then, I would write the rest of the five-page paper in about four hours - right before it was due. Looking back on my youth, I am amazed I had the strength and perseverance to pull this off. When I went to graduate school, however, I got better tips on writing and my productivity shot up. As you may know, I won an award from the American Political Science Association for my doctoral dissertation. I completed my dissertation more quickly than my fellow graduate students, in large measure, due to the principle of never rewriting on the same day that I first drafted a page or two of a chapter. Today, I speed up the writing process even more by using voice recognition software. Today, however, I'm taking this principle to a new level. One of my current rules is to start articles and grant applications by using voice recognition software. This software allows me to produce the first draft about three times faster than typing it out by hand. Although it is tempting to go back and repeat what I've just dictated in a slightly different fashion, I resist this temptation. (This can be difficult, by the way, because I usually have a better idea of what I really think after I've had a chance to vocalize my ideas.) Although my first drafts are wordy and repetitive, I can clean up these mistakes as I do the second draft...or after the staff of the agency has had a chance to help me improve the quality and realism of the proposal. Even if you are uncomfortable with this technique at first, even if you think it is impossible to dictate your thoughts verbally, please do not let these presuppositions hold you back from applying this advice and benefiting from it. Over time, you will eventually get more comfortable with dictation and you will find it hard to imagine producing documents in a slower, less efficient fashion. If you want to order voice recognition software, then please check out the following link: Link to Dragon Naturally Speaking Software As always, I don't make any money from recommending voice recognition software to you. My payment is your satisfaction with your improved productivity.