Ten Habits of the Highly Effective Writer

The book mentions ten habits used by experts that are designed to improve ones writing ability. I possess almost all of them to some degree. Some I possess at a higher capacity than others. Since, I have to choose one which I already possess. I choose the one I use the most, number 6. Revise on double- or triple-spaced hard copy. After I get all of my ideas entered into the computer, I will frequently print out a double-spaced hard copy. For what ever reason, I find it better (more efficient / easier) to find all of my mistakes this way. It allows me to view my whole paper at once, and switch between different parts of my composition quickly. The editing process is thus sped up exponentially. Also I find it easier to mark where errors are and put suggestions in, while keeping the version in progress on the computer neat and tidy.

One habit I don't possess is number 3. Schedule your time. It is a habit I would like to possess. I am a chronic procrastinator when dealing with writing and usually wait until the last possible second before beginning work on anything. I don't know exactly why that's the case, but I am usually busy trying to keep up with all of my classes that sometimes writing falls by the wayside for a while. I think that if I could more effectively schedule my time then all of my classes would be easier to maintain, and I could get a lot more quality work accomplished. My work is quality, don't get me wrong, I just don't have the time to produce vast quantities of it quickly. I currently try to prioritize things, but I do it poorly and I usually end up not having as much time as I would like on somethings. I feel like if I can adopt a good time scheduling habit; I would be able to spend much more time improving my writing than just trying to get it finished.