Stop Wasting Your Readers' Time

05 May 2026 #writing

Telling readers you don’t want to waste their time is already wasting it.

Last week in a grocery line, I picked up a self-help book from the nearby shelves. In the introduction, the author said he liked getting straight to the point without wasting time.

Then today I started a note-taking book. After listing two well-known note takers, the author gave the same disclaimer. Arrggg!

What if, instead of opening your book or post with a disclaimer, you went directly to the point? That’s how you don’t waste people’s time.

That’s the main lesson from Smart Brevity and that’s the whole point behind mini books.