Fact · Dictation
2/3of composition time spent planning
About two-thirds of the time spent composing a letter was planning, whether the letter was written, dictated or spoken.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Planning time is about two-thirds of composition time, regardless of the method of composition.”
Writing, dictating, and speaking letters, John D. Gould and Stephen J. Boies, Science, 1978, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1126/science.201.4361.1145)- What it measures
- Planning time was the pauses in which the author was not producing words, measured across writing, dictating and speaking letters.
- What it does not show
- Measured on one-page business letters in 1978; the share may differ for long documents or very routine text.
Source
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