From notes to documents, poor handwriting can plague just about every aspect of your writing. Unrefined handwriting not only looks cluttered and crude, but it can also make writing difficult to read and understand. While it is certainly not the end of the world to have messy writing, here are some ways to try and deal with poor handwriting skills.

TAKE IT SLOW

If you want to improve your handwriting and try to make it less sloppy, it is essential to take it slow and write at your own pace. While this may seem obvious at first, many people find themselves quickly jotting things down without any attention to the cleanliness of what they are writing. Slowing things down will both help your handwriting appear neater, while also helping you avoid other small mistakes such as spelling errors that occur when you write too fast.

Taking the time to make sure what you are writing looks good and is easily readable may take more time at the moment, but will ultimately save you and others who have to read it even more time in the long run, as they won’t have to try and decipher your sloppy writing. However, your writing does not have to be perfect, it just has to be good enough that it is easily understandable by those who need to read it.

TYPING IS ALWAYS AN OPTION

While handwriting is certainly beneficial in many situations such as writing a letter or taking notes, typing out what you want to write is always an option. Digital writing and communication are incredibly common nowadays, so there is rarely a time when you would not have the opportunity to type something out.

Typing has several potential benefits. You can change the font as you want, format things easily, and write quicker when compared to standard handwriting. This can be especially beneficial if you are submitting or sharing important documents, papers, or files that need to be easily read and understood.

However, it should be noted that typing is not necessarily ideal in every writing situation. While it can be nice for writing out long documents, sending emails, or writing down notes during meetings, there are times when handwriting can be much more beneficial. For example, there is a proven link between handwriting and memory, so writing something by hand is crucial if you are trying to remember what you are writing.

SOMETIMES IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER

While having pretty and presentable handwriting can be beneficial in many situations, it is ultimately not the end of the world if it is poor. In many cases, what matters most is that you are capable of reading it.

Furthermore, sometimes people are touched to simply receive something with handwriting on it, as no matter the quality of the writing, it shows that you went out of your way to write it, making it much more special and personal. This is especially true if it is something like a personal letter, as people will be happy that you took the time to write it out by hand, and will care less about how the handwriting looks.

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