4 Essential Workflow Tips for Creating Long Documents in InDesign
Several years ago, when I started creating long documents regularly, I was slow, and my drafts were loaded with simple and avoidable errors. Over time, I realized my problems had more to do with my workflow than with my technical knowledge of InDesign.
Hammering away at a document with tens or even hundreds of pages requires massive attention to detail. It can be cognitively taxing, and even more so when your drafts are returned to you repeatedly with elementary revisions. Here are four tips to improve your workflow while creating long documents. I hope they’ll help you get to your final draft faster.
Tip 1: Concentrate only on your work. No background music, videos, or podcasts
Okay, I’ll allow a soft instrumental, but nothing more! If possible, try to work in a silent environment. Why am I being so extreme? The answer is two words: working memory. Working memory is what your brain uses to store information for a short period — for example, the digits of someone’s phone number. If you’re working on a 200-page manual and trying to remember that a particular image needs to be copied and left-aligned at the end of chapters 20 and 27, you’ll need mental energy to remember those details. Background noise disrupts the efficacy of your working memory, even when you feel like it isn’t.
You’ll inevitably make more errors when you aren’t focused on your work, and you’ll have to go back and correct many of the fine details you missed. Sometimes a project gets tedious, but try to save that new episode of your favorite podcast for the ride home.
Tip 2: Learn shortcuts for repetitive tasks
Everyone knows the keystroke combo CTRL+Z is for undo, and the W key gets you into preview mode in InDesign. But did you also know that one keyboard stroke allows you to lock objects (CTRL + L) and unlock them (CTRL + ALT + L)? Other shortcuts enable you to quickly switch between typical and high display. If you spend much time using InDesign, you’ll appreciate the advantage of fast toggling between these two modes.
Whatever software you use, take the time to research and use shortcuts. I guarantee there are plenty you've never heard of that could dramatically speed up your workflow. Once you learn a new shortcut, force yourself to use it. You'll be surprised at how quickly it will become muscle memory and how much faster you’ll work.
Tip 3: Plan the layout of your document before you create it
In graphic design, every element affects the position of everything around it. SMEs and other project stakeholders sometimes overlook this fact. An extra line of copy can throw off the entire balance of a page. An extra image can shift all the content onto the next spread and affect the rest of the layout from that point on.
To avoid this scenario, do your best to gather all the assets you need for the job and lay out your document before you create it. Try to envision what should go on each page, and leave some extra white space if possible. The more you plan in the beginning, the less time you’ll spend backtracking to add page items (or even full pages) that could potentially rearrange the entire piece.
You’ll always run into situations where you have to change content unexpectedly, it is the nature of creative work. But a little extra outlining up front can save you hours of revising and rearranging drafts.
Tip 4: Consistency, consistency, consistency
While we're on the topic of planning, take note of any formatting conventions you’ll need to use throughout your document—and strictly adhere to them while you work. If you don’t have an existing style for your document, you’ll need to create one.
Again, this will save you time in the long run. A professional document has consistent headers, footers, leading, and font sizing throughout. If you use proper paragraph styles throughout, you won’t be stuck doing a last-minute Find/Change to make all your chapter titles 36-pt bold and magenta. In InDesign, use as many parent pages as you need to ensure the layout of each page type is consistent from the beginning to the end.
Efficiency and accuracy are equally critical when creating long documents. The faster and cleaner you set up your project, the more time you give yourself for research, revision, and unforeseen eleventh-hour changes. By implementing these four tips to improve your workflow, you’ll be one step closer to consistently producing your best and most professional work.
