Beat writer’s block

It can take forever to get started. The blank page terrifies most of us.

So here's an easy way in!

You can do the entire thing on sticky notes or scraps of paper.

Specify your goal

Identify your readers

Filter the information

Test the plan

1. If this doc works, what will happen?

2. Primary - Who does it need to work for the most for the doc to achieve its goal?

3. Secondary - Who else might help to produce the doc or read it after it’s written?

4. Unintended - Who would you not want to see it?

5. Dump - Brainstorm all potential content

6. Chunk - Group the info in related chunks

7. Label - Give each chunk a label

8. Filter - Does your primary reader need to know this chunk to achieve your goal? (Then repeat for secondary readers.)

9. Order - Put the chunks in order from primary reader's most important to secondary reader's least important.

10. Ask someone else: Does the plan look logical and useful? Is anything missing?

Poster to print of the SIFT process

A way to think about order of information based on function

✨ Sign up for regular writing tips – get new tips direct to your inbox every 2 weeks

↩️ Back to the writing tips

✨ Check out my Report Writing workshop, it covers the good, solid, business writing foundations and then builds up your report-writing expertise.

✨ Look into the School of unProfessional Writing to learn about plain language at your own pace