Hey Reader! 👋

Whether you are a manager, a business owner, an editor or a writer yourself, you’ve probably come across some people who just seem to lack basic common sense.

As Head of Proofreading at My Content Pal, you can imagine I’ve seen it all - the excellent, the shocking, and the downright baffling.

“Common sense is not that common.” The wise speaker of those words, Voltaire, may have lived in the 1700s, but never before have those words rung truer.

Today, I want to deep dive into a topic that often has me shaking my head in astonishment (and I bet you’ve felt the same): “Why do some writers appear to lack common sense?”

What is “common sense”?

“Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralphy-boy knew what he was talking about, and I can’t put it better myself. But in the world of writing, common sense has a bit of a different meaning.

It is not about memorising complicated grammar rules and being a walking thesaurus. Instead, it is about something untouchable… something elusive… a firm grasp on what is clear, what feels right to write, and what is sensible in the context of writing brilliant content and meeting client expectations.

When common sense meets writing

So, the elephant in the room is, why does it genuinely sometimes feel like a content writer just doesn’t have common sense?

Of course, what is considered common sense will differ between people. But when you come across a writer who…

• Uses the wrong tone of voice
• Misses important parts of the brief
• Commits plagiarism
• Makes the same mistakes over and over again
• Changing the client’s brief without permission

…you might just be asking yourself “Why?” while miserably shaking your head.

Renowned US author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey, stated “What is common sense isn’t common practice” and it seems that is never truer than when it comes to writing content for clients.

But what could possibly be the cause of these seemingly frequent lapses in common sense?

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The causes of lapses in common sense

1. Distractions 😵‍

Working from home is HARD. With Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, TikTok and Amazon tempting you with distractions and notifications dinging on your phone, housework to be done (we’ve all done a sneaky load of laundry during work hours) and no boss peering over your shoulder, it is incredibly easy to become distracted when you have to simply sit down and write.

Distractions have that uncanny ability to break our thought processes, whereas common sense needs you to be in the moment and have a keen eye for detail.

Being distracted means making really stupid mistakes that seem to slip through the cracks.

2. Deadlines ⏰

Anyone in the content industry knows how important deadlines are. If your client needs exceptional content in two days, you better get on it and deliver if you want to keep them on board!

And while deadlines are amazing motivators (some of us just work better under stress), they also have the opposite effect, causing the writer to stress too much, start rushing the work, and cause common sense to fly out the window.

The need to meet deadlines more often than not means that meticulous proofreading and following the client’s guidelines become a thing of the past.

3. Digital noise 📳

Even the best office set-up isn’t without digital noise. News, updates, information, emails and instant messages - it floods our brains and interrupts our thoughts.

With so much information hogging our brain’s bandwidth, it is no surprise that common sense has to jostle for space!

Writers may begin to include trending phrases and ideas in their work, losing sight of what really matters: the quality and originality!

4. Doing too much ✍️

As a woman, multi-tasking comes easy to me (just kidding, this newsletter isn’t about gender sterotypes!).

But in all honestly, some people find multi-tasking much easier than others. And then there are those that think they can multi-task, but do all their tasks just slightly wrong, making it seem as if they don’t have any common sense!

And a lot of professional and freelance writers have to wear many hats. They’re either working on many different projects, or have to research, write and edit their own work.

When juggling all these different tasks, it is impossible to give their content the undivided attention it needs, causing them to make really silly mistakes.

5. Lacking balance ⚖️

We’ve all heard the term “work-life balance”. Now, I am not sure how many of you actually abide by it, but when it comes to our staff, we need to encourage them to find a balance that works for them.

Writers who face many deadlines or have a lot on their plate may sacrifice their personal well-being to meet the demands of their clients. And, if you are tired, there is no way you can deliver top-quality work. An exhausted brain will have muddled thoughts, resulting in silly mistakes, typos and erroneous sentences that infiltrate the content.

6. Relying on technology 💾

Yes, AI has revolutionised our industry. But ChatGPT is only the latest tech to come in and take over the work that once belonged to people.

Writing tools like Grammarly, Hemingway and Quillbot have been around for years and have taken over the job of editors and proofreaders. But, writers can’t solely rely on these tools and blindly accept their suggestions.

Even AI-written content still needs a human eye cast over it!

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Nurturing Common Sense in Writers

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are: hard work, stick-to-it-iveness and common sense” - Thomas Edison.

So, now we know what causes lapses in or momentary lack of common sense. But what can YOU do about it? I have asked myself this question many times when I come across yet another mistake that I have rectified (and provided feedback on) many times before.

But, I did my homework, and I found some really great ways in which we can try to help our writers re-discover the common sense that seemed to have gotten them this far in life.

1. Communicate effectively 🗣️

The best way to re-establish (or uncover) common sense in content creators is to communicate with the team. Writers and editors should always have open lines of communication. This can be done through:

• Regular briefings where you discuss projects with them and answer any questions they may have.
• Feedback loops where writers always receive constructive feedback on all the work they deliver. Editors need to highlight common sense issues in their feedback.
• Team collaboration between writers, editors and whoever else is in the team. Brainstorming and sharing of ideas must be encouraged.

2. Careful proofreading 📖

And no, I don’t mean your editors (although they should also obviously be very meticulous).

I mean that writers need to follow the example of the proofers, and pay attention to detail when proofreading their work. This is easier said than done, but you can provide your writing team with a checklist to complete for each article, like:

• Did you include all the information from the brief?
• Is your tone of voice correct?
• Did you check it for plagiarism?
• Did you make sure there are no spelling mistakes?
• Have you double-checked all your facts and statements?

Some writers are waaaaay to reliant on editors to pick up their mistakes, but they need to be held accountable too.

3. Creating self-awareness 🙂

Encouraging your writer to develop self-awareness is a proactive approach to nurturing common sense. But, how on Earth are we supposed to help someone else become self-aware?

It starts with encouraging them to look at themselves and identify areas where they need help. Striving towards continuous improvement is key, and it is up to senior members of the team to help the writers get training.

One aspect of this training is self-editing. I can’t stress this enough: writers need to take responsibility for their own work!

You can also ask your content writers to take a moment and critically reflect on their work. They may struggle initially so you may have to prompt them, asking them how their article or content aligns with the project’s or client’s goals and the target audience, but it is sure to get them thinking.

4. Professional Development 🎓

“Anyone who stops learning is old, at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning is young.” - Henry Ford

Considering Mr. Ford is the reason we work 8 - 5 and have 5-day work weeks, he probably knows a thing or two about common sense as well.

Continuous learning in the professional field is key to fostering common sense. This can include offering your writing team regular training programs and workshops around writing content, or regularly looking into the latest industry trends and best practices, and informing the team too.

Encouraging a culture of common sense

You can’t just expect content writers to create common sense out of thin air (wouldn’t that be nice, though?)

Managers, team leaders and business owners need to create a workplace culture that places a value on common sense that benefits the whole team.

Sure, creating that magical, amazing workplace culture can be tough, but not impossible!

It is important that you lead by example. Writers - especially those stressed by deadlines and overwhelmed by work - need to be able to turn to someone as a guide. Leaders need to exemplify common sense in their interactions and work, as this sets the tone for the rest of the team.

You should also recognise and reward good, ol’ common sense. Whether this is through an employee of the month scheme or just a little shout-out on the team chat - acknowledge when individuals use common sense when writing content or making decisions. Hopefully, this inspires the rest of the team to follow in their footsteps!

You should also share examples of when common sense was used. This probably sounds simple since common sense should always be used, but success stories can go a long way in inspiring others to do the same.

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Final musings

Listen, I get it. I know how frustrating it can be when you just want to look up at the heavens and call out “Why can’t you just get this right, it is not that hard?!”.

But really, there is no point in getting frustrated. People may lack common sense for whatever reasons, and it might’ve just been a temporary lack in judgement.

Leadership needs to step up and identify where the issues are, and work with their writing team to iron out these imperfections. By showing your support and understanding, you will motivate the whole team to step up.

Gertrude Stein pointed out a modern challenge: “Everyone gets so much information all day long, that they lose their common sense."

And in this world that is simply overflowing with noise and information, common sense is a beacon of clarity we all need to hold on to. It becomes the very foundation for incredible and relatable content.

By finding the sweet spot of common sense and creativity, your writers will be unstoppable.

And with that, I thank you for coming on this journey with me. I certainly learned a lot by researching this topic, and have a better sense of understanding for other people whose brains simply work differently from mine.

If you have any stories or insights to share or any top tips for nurturing common sense in someone else, I am all ears!

Let’s make common sense a common practice in content creation!

Thanks, 😎

Adri Meyer

Head of Proofreading
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