6 Tips to Uncover Your Best Writing

Being a writer requires time, devotion, passion and skill.

For aspiring writers and those who have just started, becoming the writer you always wanted to be is a big challenge.

There are times when you would end up asking yourself if you can really do this or if you are good enough to write.

This is completely normal.

Even the most prolific writers experience problems like these, and you don’t establish your identity as a writer in one shot.

1. Trust Yourself and Just Write

The most successful writers can only give you their own formulas for success. The same thing goes when you’re writing a particular kind of content. Whether it’s a simple essay, a short story or a novel, there is a lot of information telling you to write in this manner, do this and do that.

More often than not, you doubt whether you can possibly write something significant, especially when what you’re doing is different from what others are doing. But always keep in mind that each person is unique in his own thoughts and ideas.

Trust in yourself and just keep on writing. Keep in mind that you write to express yourself and to share your ideas with your readers.

2. Allot Time For Writing

You can never find an excellent writer who succeeded overnight. Apart from talent, writing is also a skill you must continuously hone and develop. Just as artists hone their craft, you need to practice.

It is essential that you take time to practice and to write. When you allot time for writing, you develop certain skills that are essential for writers like the ability to think fast, brainstorm ideas effectively, organize your thoughts, etc.

3. Proofread Your Work

It is never a bad thing to read through your work. Just don’t overdo it so you end up removing almost everything you wrote, because you feel writing it was a mistake.

Keep in mind that the goal is not to identify what is right or wrong with your writing. What you want to know is if you are able to express what you wanted to share with your readers.

4. Accept Constructive Criticism

All of the most highly acclaimed written works went through a lot of editing and some even experienced numerous rejections. This is the flow and the process that most writers have to experience before their works are published.

So, never be afraid to take criticism and even rejection. You can learn so many things about your work from other people especially if the person reviewing your work is also a writer.

It is much easier to see what parts need to be changed or what needs to be removed. After a work has undergone a series of proofreads and edits, the best version of your work emerges.

5. Put Aside Your Fears

To write effectively, you have to set aside your fears. This problem comes when you have too many doubts and fears about your writing skills or even if your ideas are worth writing about.

But when you finally learn to let go of your inhibitions, you have freedom to explore your thoughts and to write anything you want without having self-doubts about it.

Set aside your fears and let your ideas bloom and your thoughts wander. It is only when you finally cast away your fears that you get to tap your creative potential as a writer — you find out what it really means to be a writer.

6. Set Your Goals

All good writers set goals. Prior to writing, you have to know what your purpose and your objectives are. What is it that you want to achieve? What is your goal in writing a particular piece?

Setting straight and clear goals is a great motivational force. They serve as blueprint when you write as you can compare if what you are writing serves your purpose and your goal.

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All of these are just some of the tips you can apply in order to become the writer you have always wanted to be. Yet at the end of the day, every writer must establish his own identity and his own formula of success.

Just keep on writing and never doubt if you can become a prolific writer or achieve the status of your revered writers. The greatest writers didn’t emerge overnight. It took years for them to get to the place you’re aiming for.

(Photo by Doug Robichaud / CC BY)

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4 Reasons to Stop Banning Social Media at Work

There is no denying that the typical office environment has changed over the last decade, with the majority of employees now sitting in front of a computer screen for long periods of time.

The once-seen boundary between work and life has become blurred, predominantly due to social media becoming increasingly utilized in business for marketing purposes.

For many employers, allowing for social media use in the workplace would be absurd.

In fact, 42 percent of employers prohibit workers from using social media altogether.

And perhaps, this makes sense, as social media is widely understood to be time-consuming, mindless and useless.

It can be very tempting to check social media accounts while working, but unless you’re working in the social media or marketing field, it is very unlikely that interacting with followers is what you’re being paid to do.

But does banning social media boost productivity or hurt workplace morale? Here are four reasons to why social media should be allowed in the working environment.

1. You Are Losing Talent

The feeling of connectedness is vital in Generation Y, and overlooking this fact could adversely affect hiring and turnover rate.

Fifty-six percent of millennials say they won’t accept a job role unless social media is allowed at the workplace. As a result, social media plays a huge role in drawing new talent.

Employees from younger generations are accustomed to using social media on a regular basis. If you start banning social media, some employees may look for work elsewhere. This will result in the loss of good employees.

Social media is an important part of daily communication and identity and not just in the younger generation. About half of employees using social media at work are over the age of 35. Social media is now a regular part of human interaction, and denying this can be counterproductive.

2. You Are Decreasing Productivity

The biggest fear for employers is that social media will make employees less productive. However, these employers must remember it’s not the hours spent working on a project, it is the result of that work which counts. Always measure productivity by the end result.

A study produced by the University of Melbourne found those who regular surf the internet are more productive than those who don’t. Therefore, despite beliefs, social media has a place in the workplace.

Businesses realize that to maintain productivity, employees need to take small breaks in order to re-energize their minds. Social media and checking emails are forms of refreshing the mind.

Thirty-four percent of employees say they slack at work because they work too many hours. Social media can provide a much-needed mental break in the heat of a project.

Two hours on Facebook may be a huge problem, but a five-minute diversion is not a big deal. Employees simply cannot concentrate on working for eight hours straight. Short social media breaks may be necessary to keep employees at the top of their game.

Discourage social media procrastination and create accountability with open desk arrangements where computer monitors are visible enough to limit social media usage.

3. You Are Establishing Mistrust

If an employee speaks poorly of your company on social media in working time, something must be done about it. However, banning social media in the workplace isn’t going to win the battle.

Whether an employee misrepresents your company on social media in or out of working hours, it is not the timing of the post which is the problem but rather the attitude of that employee.

Banning social media sends a message through the workplace that you don’t trust your employees. Responsible employees know they have a job to do, assignments to complete and a quality to achieve. Allowing employees to spend a few moments on social media will keep these employees engaged and performance levels up.

Create specific guidelines for on-the-clock usage to help avoid any social media disasters. You should introduce these guidelines to new employees on day one.

Productivity is all about balance. Banning employees from Facebook is like banning them from talking about football at work. Social media is a way to relax for a moment, away from the working situation at hand.

4. You Are Inhibiting Communication

Social media doesn’t break face-to-face communication in the office — it helps. One study found that three in five workers say social media has resulted in better relationships at work, and one in three have used social media in furthering work-related projects.

Like emails and instant messaging systems, social media is a casual way for employees to interact with acquaintances and build stronger relationships, resulting in an overall better workplace communication.

Empower employees with social media by putting a social media policy and monitoring tools in place to keep the business in line. Proper training to improve employee morale and to avoid social media disasters should be given to each employee.

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Is social media use allowed in your office? Tell us about what you think!

(Photo by FirmBee / CC BY)

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