How to Write 2x Faster Without Sacrificing Quality

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Hey, how’s it going? Tim here.

Let's face it.

Most of us aren't writing as fast as we could be.

We stare at the blank page. We check Twitter. We make another coffee. We stare some more.

And then we wonder why our content calendar is perpetually behind schedule.

Today we're tackling the elephant in the room: your slow-as-molasses writing speed.

The Real Reason You're Writing Slowly

Here's the painful truth:

Writing slow isn't a badge of honor. It's not a sign of quality. It's usually a sign of:

• Perfectionism

• Poor preparation

• Weak systems

• And yes, sometimes you just type like a cat walking across your keyboard after consuming an energy drink

I know, I know. That stings. But let's fix it.

5 Hacks to Double Your Writing Speed This Week

1. Stop editing while you write

Seriously. Stop it.

The biggest speed killer is trying to be a creator and an editor simultaneously.

Your brain hates this. It's like trying to accelerate and brake at the same time.

Write with the door closed. Edit with the door open.

People edit while they write because it sounds different in their head than on the page. Here's a hack: speak your ideas out loud into a transcription app first, then type from that. It trains your brain to write like you think.

Your mental editor is a perfectionist with control issues. Tell them they can have their turn later.

Set a timer for 25 minutes and just write. No backspacing. No rereading. No tweaking that sentence for the 17th time.

Just. Write.

2. Create a swipe file system

The second biggest time sink? Staring at the blank page wondering how to start.

Solution: Build a robust swipe file of:

• Intros that worked

• Transitions you love

• Frameworks that convert

• Closers that drive action

I keep mine in Coda with tags like "Problem/Solution," "Shocking Stat," and "Personal Story."

When I sit down to write, I'm never truly starting from scratch.

3. Learn to actually type properly

This one's embarrassing, but true.

Most people type like they're hunting for Easter eggs on a keyboard.

Just. Get. Good.

I'm not mincing words here: If you write for a living but never learned to type properly, you're playing life on hard mode for no reason.

I spent COVID lockdown taking proper typing classes. Now I hit 155 WPM without looking at the keys.

Quick math: If you go from 40 WPM to 80 WPM, that's literally double the output. A 5,000-word article that took 2 hours now takes 1.

That's 5 extra hours per week. 20 hours per month. 240 hours per year.

What could you do with an extra 240 hours?

Stop the hunt-and-peck madness:

• MonkeyType.com — Free tests to benchmark your speed

• Typing.com — 10 minutes daily for 30 days will transform you

• Keybr.com — Focuses on your specific weakness patterns

When your fingers can keep up with your brain, magic happens.

At 115 WPM, I'm basically the person running up the down escalator at the mall. God knows what we do with all that saved time. (Probably write more tweets, let's be honest.)

(Yes, I also spent way too much on mechanical keyboards. No, you don't need to do that part. But the typing classes? Absurdly high ROI.)

4. Outline like your life depends on it

I cut my blog writing time in half with one simple change:

I now spend 30% of my total writing time on the outline.

That's right. If I'm writing for 2 hours, I spend 40 minutes just on the outline.

Brain dump everything. Arrange in logical order. Add notes about examples or data points.

Once your outline is solid, writing becomes filling in the blanks instead of figuring out what to say next.

Same goes with this newsletter. I have bits already planned, I just drop it together into Beehiiv and boom. Comes together in about an hour or so.

5. Embrace the "zero draft"

Before your first draft, do a "zero draft."

This is where you write as if no one will ever read it.

• Use bullet points

• Leave blanks for stats you'll look up later

• Write [INSERT BETTER EXAMPLE HERE]

• Speak into your phone if typing is too slow

This gives you raw material to shape in your first draft instead of staring at a blank page.

Tools That Actually Help

Productivity tools are usually a distraction. But these genuinely speed up my writing:

Otter.ai — I use this to transcribe my thoughts when I'm walking. Some of my best ideas come from these "writing walks."

Grammarly — Not for the grammar check (that's for editing), but for the confidence to keep writing without worrying about typos.

Forest app — Gamifies focus sessions. I use it for 25-minute writing sprints.

What's Working Even Better

Last month I experimented with a new system:

• Sunday: Outline 5 pieces of content (20 mins each) (( Could easily be 20 mins total with Penfriend, jus

• Monday-Friday: Write 1 piece per day, focused on filling in the outline

• Result: 5 pieces of content in 5 days, about 2 hours total per piece

This pre-planning reduced my writing time by 40%.

The quality? Actually better. Because I'm not rushing to figure out what to say when I sit down to write.

Next Tuesday I'll share how I'm scaling this to create a full quarter's content in a single week.

Until then, stop obsessing over perfection and start writing faster. Your future self will thank you.

✌️ Tim "keyboard go clackity clack" Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

P.S. What specific part of the writing process slows you down the most? Hit reply and let me know. I'm preparing a deep dive on the most common answers for next month's special edition.

P.P.S. If you’ve been here before you know the drill when I talk about typing speed. Send me a screenshot of you typing faster than me, and I’ll give you 5 credits for free in Penfriend. I can do that. Someone gave my database access 🥲