Often, one of the hardest parts of writing in any kind of medium can be avoiding distractions and sitting down to type non-stop. A key part of that is getting engaged with the writing process and just putting a good deal of material on the page. Yet, this is easier said than done; it’s challenging to find willpower and settle into your work without getting distracted by your phone. Fortunately, there are a number of techniques that may help you to write more efficiently that differ from the typical recommendations to put on white noise and hide your phone.
Turn off spelling and grammar checkers
This approach is incredibly helpful for staying actively engaged with your writing and maintaining your voice. When I don’t have grammar suggestions on, I hold myself accountable as a writer. Granted, I always turn them back on when I’ve finished a piece, but while I work, taking a second to consider the correct grammar or spelling of a specific word or phrase forces me to reconsider if it’s actually the best choice.
Additionally, when auto-correct carefully follows your cursor, magically erasing that squiggly red line, it creates the illusion that all is well now that Google’s taken care of it. Of course, that’s not always the case, because the sentence may not actually flow well or sound good, and those kinds of semantics are up to the writer to fix as they go.
Don’t use Any kind of artificial intelligence
By utilizing artificial intelligence to write, you lose a part of your voice. Even letting a generative AI system choose a word for you can disengage you from the writing process because you didn’t make that call.
This is a one-of-a-kind problem that AI editors create. An AI won’t trip over words no matter what because it’s not a person, which is why it’s important to write and re-read your writing yourself or have another human check it over. Moreover, think about it from a reader’s perspective: someone’s individual voice and testimony are memorable and fun to read. The best kind of writing comes from authentic intelligence, not artificial intelligence.
write your first and final drafts in separate word processors
I’m doing this one as I write this piece! Her Campus is hosted by WordPress, but instead of writing my first draft on the site, I’m starting it here on Google Docs. When I’ve finished the entire article, using a split screen, I’ll manually copy my writing into a WordPress post.
It’s important to note that I don’t write passively when I do this; I use the copy process as an opportunity to rewrite any sentences that don’t sound good or correct my mistakes. This tip can be very useful for college writing assignments on Blackboard or Canvas; by starting in a Word or Google document and transitioning your paper over to the course assignment, you can easily fix a lot of errors in your writing without having to find a quiet spot to read anything aloud (though I would still read it aloud at least once).
This tip is one that requires a lot of formatting. For instance, as any Her Campus writers know, WordPress can be finicky, and it’s often easier to write and initially figure out the layout of your article in a more flexible word processor, especially if your piece features a lot of dynamic elements like headings and embeds.
decrease the margins and spacing of the document you’re writing in
Many students only adjust the margins and spacing of their papers if it’s required by an essay rubric, but even when I’m not working on a term paper, modifying the settings of my file encourages me to fill the page and helps me find more to say.
Essentially, when the page margins are smaller, my writing stretches out to the very edges of the digital paper, but consequently doesn’t fill much of the page. This format makes me feel obligated to write more, sometimes just brain-dumping all my thoughts until my paragraphs take up more of the document.
Obviously, no one wants to read such a wide block of text, and you shouldn’t keep it in this format forever. When you switch back to the standard margins, you’ll then find yourself looking at a page full of words and you’ll have a lot more material to work with. Now, it’s only a matter of paring down your ideas and picking the best ones for the final product.
use placeholders when you’re stuck on a word
It can be challenging to keep writing when you’re not sure what word to choose next. Indecision can slow down your progress and is not something you want to experience on a deadline. Instead of agonizing over the Thesaurus, type out any kind of placeholder that’ll get your attention (eg: highlight, bracket, parentheses) in place of the word or phrase you’re stuck on. This way, you can move on with the rest of your piece and return to that marker during the editing process to make a decision.
Placeholders can also be used for larger pieces of writing. For example, I prefer to start my writing process with my body paragraphs. Rather than wasting energy overthinking what to say to begin my article, I’ll add placeholders at the beginning and end of my pieces so I’ll remember to go back and add an introduction and conclusion another time. I’ll also note the ideal word count for these paragraphs. Knowing that I’ll have to add a certain number of words for the introduction and conclusion on top of the body of my essay helps me to stay on track with the length of my work, and is especially useful if there’s a word count that I need to hit.
Ultimately, by doing this, you save time and can keep writing until your rough draft is finished. Then, you can come back to your placeholders and add in those paragraphs that take more energy for you to write and reflect on individual word choices that you were stuck on.
At the end of the day, writing isn’t easy. In 2026, the most popular word processors will promote generative AI all over the place. And when many students choose to cut corners and supercharge their writing with ChatGPT, even taking the time to authentically craft a discussion board post can feel daunting if writing doesn’t come naturally to you. These tips may not work for everyone. However, trying them out can show you what goes into creating a distraction-free writing ecosystem and cultivating discipline and focus as a writer, no matter how often or how well you write.