Optimizing Your Writing Time

When writing business messages, try scheduling your time as follows:

• Planning: About one-half of your time
• Writing: About one-quarter of your time
• Completing: About one-quarter of your time

Devoting half your time to planning might sound odd, but doing so can save time overall.

Start with the 50–25–25 split as a guideline and use your best judgment for each project.

Planning Effectively

Careful planning helps in three significant ways:

• It helps you find and assemble the facts your readers are looking for and to deliver that information in a concise and compelling way.
• Good planning reduces indecision and stress as you write, and it reduces rework during the completing step.
• It can save you from embarrassing blunders, such as failing to cover key issues.