January is an excellent month for writers to confront their demons. Bad writing habits can accumulate over time and impact your work and professional career, but a new year is an ideal time to identify issues and overcome them. Here, we look at some common bad writing habits worth breaking for a successful 2025.
Procrastination
Putting off writing assignments has a negative impact. The longer you delay, the less time you have left to research and write. As a result, you’ll rush articles, affecting their overall quality and, in worst cases, missing deadlines. Create a schedule and stick to it.
Proofreading neglect
Failing to check work before submission is sloppy. While online apps can help, they rarely catch every error. Personally review your articles upon completion to remove simple mistakes and improve the quality of your pieces and professional reputation. When possible, leave time between finishing and proofreading to increase your objectivity.
Overused words
Writing with the same words repetitively creates tiresome reading. Use a thesaurus to find engaging alternatives, but ensure they are appropriate and familiar to your readership to avoid them tuning out.
Overly complex writing
Keeping sentences shorter and on point makes writing more impactful. If you tend to waffle and write endless sentences, try reading your work aloud and see how often you need to draw breath. Clear and concise language is the best approach to get any message across.
Once you’ve identified your bad habits and are dedicated to breaking them, you’ll want to put your new mindset into practice.