I write to think

But sloppy writing, at least for me, often is a result of sloppy thinking.

And since I write to think, it also might result in sloppy talking.

So, at least for me, the best approach when I notice inconsistent talking or writing from my side is to take a step back, drill into the key arguments again, impose structure, and then redo everything, not just try to fix the one sloppy-looking segment.

I often notice a similar tendency in other people’s work, too. When an analysis isn’t tight at a certain detail, it often is because the higher level isn’t clear. The goal of the analysis isn’t defined well, or the method isn’t as structured as it should be.

The details matter and might signal a larger problem. Don’t try to hide it, do the hard work and look up before you look down again.