I have a writing system that works very well for efficient writing. It’s based on three separate steps on three separate days. Sometimes those days come one after another, sometimes they’re spread out over a week or two.

On the first day, I review the material I have to write about. If I’m writing something from scratch I make notes or even a mind map (a diagram of the way the idea or argument flows). No writing is done this day, just a gathering of thoughts into some sort of order.

On the second day, I write (and often rewrite, too). My experience has been that if I carry the ideas around from the first day long enough, the article will just about write itself. So, unless I have a deadline, I don’t rush to write.

Conversely, if I’m having trouble getting something written, I presume I’m not yet ready and set the project aside if I can.

On the third day, I edit what I’ve written. It helps to put at least a day between writing and the editing sessions, because the assumptions that guided me during the writing may not seem so clear a day later. In addition, I can more objectively judge what I’ve written if some time passes. When I’m writing for clients, I like to come back to a piece of writing once a day for several days before submitting it.

It’s a simple process, but an efficient one for me.